Episode 1A: Life of a Hangman

After fourteen years, Logun has grown up as a hangman. We will see what Acrisius has to offer.

Episode 1

Life of a Hangman

Part A

The environment quickly turned against the bloody hangman Crimson and the little dirty boy Logun. What would they do? Why was the anger and chaos so present in the environment itself? The debris came in so quickly surrounding Crimson and Logun.

“LEAVE!” Commanded a mysterious and demonic voice so far and distant. It was so ambient and dark.

Logun turned around feeling puzzled about the mysterious voice from so far. There was then a great yellow and red eye that took the place of the broken sun. It clutched its focus on Logun and Crimson. Whoa, a mouth just appeared at the horizon. Only it’s teeth appeared as the divided debris. Even though it was so distant, it came in closer, closer, and closer.

Crimson held onto Logun with his hand and grappled onto him quickly. Crimson’s speed and agility increased along with the excitement and adrenaline that flowed within his body. A hangman saving a target? What is this? What was in Crimson’s mind? These were thoughts of Logun’s.

Crimson adapted to the bending city and the twisting objects around him. They eventually arrived to a window of an apartment. There was no bed, no lamp, no chair, and no desk. Only a red pentagram that was painted on a wall. Now instead of stopping and taking a rest in the blank room, Crimson attempted to run into the pentagram painting itself. It was as if there was open space beyond the pentagram. It was glowing yellow with luminance on front of Crimson’s eyes. Was Crimson crazy? What the hell was going on? Why was he running into the glowing pentagram as if there was space beyond it?

But there was space beyond it. It just wasn’t in the underworld where they have been for a while. It was back at the world in which everybody, especially humans, knew and lived in for so long. Welcome back Logun and Crimson.

Crimson then collapsed onto the floor along with Logun. His body splattered into bloody bits and gore. Where was Crimson? Actually the question behind that was “Which one?”. He Logun was covered in Crimson’s bloody mess and gore. Logun stood up after that whole violent experience at the underworld.

Wait, Crimson didn’t die, that was never said, the blood that Logun was covered on slid off so easily. The stains in the room began to circulate at one specific area. It formed a man again, just like it did before. The form became Crimson in his exact form. Once the skin and clothes came back together, he cracked his neck and his knuckles, then the rest of his bones to straighten them back.

A few hours later, there was a huge tower, so vastly big and tall. Every citizen of Acrisius could see it from any distance. Whether the viewer was outside of inside the city, it could be seen. Logun was inside of it with Crimson. The room that they were in was so visually stunning. There was a gramophone, chairs covered with animal skin, and beautifully designed lamps. Behind the desk was a man covered in black gothic clothing. He wore black gloves that covered his hand except for his fingers. His face was so young, cherubic and angel like. He only smiled like a child when he saw the little boy. He had white hair that was parted and combed. This man was Carnegie Spree.

“Would you like a little piece of candy?” asked Carnegie Spree with an enthusiastic passion. His accent was so cheesy for anyone’s ears but was at least clear enough for Logun to understand. Logun didn’t answer for a few seconds but Crimson said.

“He is not much of a speaker boss. But I’m sure he would at least need a treat.”

Carnegie then walked towards Logun with his cane so femininely. He snapped his fingers and there came a chocolate bar. Wow how did he do that?

“Do you know why my right hand hangman saved you little boy?” asked Carnegie Spree when he placed the chocolate right on front of Logun’s hand. Logun snatched the chocolate, tore the wrapper and then devoured it in a matter of seconds.

“You should say thank you before you....” commanded Crimson who then was interrupted by Carnegie’s hand gesture to silence Crimson.

“It’s okay, he’s only a child.” said Carnegie with a forgiving tone and passion. He began to kneel down to have a great view of Logun’s face.

“So Little boy, there is a reason why Crimson did not kill you as he was told. Do you want to know why?” Carnegie asked wiping Logun’s chocolate face with a hankerchief. “It’s because you have told us how much fame we have. We don’t know anyone outside of the city who knows about the great hangmen like us. And besides, we like little songs and stories about us.”

“Think about it in another perspective boss. There is a reason why no one knows about the hangmen. Which target left the city alive to tell the tale?” Crimson commented about Carnegie’s explanation.

“That’s right but the little boy can tell us where he learned that from.”

Logun thought for a moment right when Carnegie was done wiping all the chocolate off of his face. He decided to tell Carnegie about something.

“My parents told me the story.” said Logun.

“Awe, is that where you heard it from?” asked Carnegie Spree.

“I don’t know much more than that, but they used to sing the nursery rhyme to me.”

“Can you sing again to me little boy?”

“Beware of the very thought of your own

The punishment is not very unknown

The peace that you have been in for so long

Will be taken away due to their wrong”

“Make sure you never break the law

or the Hangman will break you raw

But if you do ever see one

There is nowhere to run.”

Logun’s tone was not one of a happy singer. His emotions grew darker. The anger accumulated quickly inside of his heart. Of course, Carnegie would be at the background clapping whose emotions were the opposite of Logun’s.

“Little boy, that was excellent, allow me to tell you about the city we live in. Look out the window.”

Logun did likewise. He stared at the grand view of the city. Such a marvelous view and a sight for sore eyes. But what was Logun really looking at?

“What you are seeing, is where the subordinates live. And the Subordinates, are the people we govern. They are little children so we have to always keep an eye on them peeps. But what are we? We are the hangmen who are incharge of Acrisius and the citizens of Acrisius. They don’t know much about us, other than the fact that if they do dare to disobey us, then they will get the death penalty. And that’s where the fun comes in. So little boy, here is one, big, big question for you. Do you want to be them, or us?”

Logun began to smile after he was done looking at the city. Wait, a smile? Really, if Logun barely smiled back then, what was behind that smile right now. Whatever it was, he turned to Carnegie with something in mind. Logun then answered.

“A hangman!”   

Fourteen years later, he was clean, tall, intelligent, and focused. He wore a black and red jacket. His long black hair was tied back from a pony tail band. Under that short goatee was his emotionless face. It was short but still stubby. His eye color was green but half of his bangs covered his face. He walked along with the pedestrians of Acrisius and then saw a big LED screen. It was on the face of a building at the corner. The audio background transitioned from the cars and shuffling of the people to the audio that synced with the visuals of the LED screen. The screen had a picture of a white bald man with a blue dress suit. He sat on front of the desk that faced the camera.

“So, I have recently read about a man.....a man of treason, a man of hate, or a man of scum.” said the audio that slowly synced properly with the man’s lips. The man then continued to speak. An icon on the bottom left corner said “PRO News”. Wow such power was behind those words.

“Now I want you to point your fingers at this sinner that will come up in less than a second” said the man right before a picture of the suspect came up on the LED screen. Wait, point fingers, really? Who would do that? Kinda sounded like a kids show, what do you think? Logun stared at the pedestrians who stopped talking to each other. What the....? How much power did the man have on those citizens. They were like little children who would pay attention to television. They were supporters, respectful citizens, but puppets. All of their fingers pointed toward the image with blind hatred and anger. The little children also pointed their fingers when they dropped their candy bars and bottles.

The image of the suspect was another man who wore glasses, and had curly hair. He was wearing a red collared jacket and black boots. The image then disappeared and cut back to the news station.

“The man’s name is Andrew Walker. He is a threat to society, and that is all he is. He carries something that makes people upset, hurt, and depressed. He was accused for attacking several citizens with the object he carried. Accused of Disturbing the peace, and worse of all.....not respecting our great leader.....’Carnegie Spree’. Now we all don’t want to be hurt or do we. Because the only way to not get hurt is to shoot that son of a b***h. That’s my personal view of this situation. You know what, don’t shoot him, stab him. Get medieval on his a*s. Take the law into your own hands if you wish, but we got hangmen on a job like this. Give thanks and luck to them citizens. This is Dick Bobber for PRO news, messenger of heaven.” said Dick Bobber with a smile right before the LED screen transitioned to an advertisement.

Logun knew what to do. He ran through the alley way as he made sharp ninety degree angle turns. The swift action of his was faster than the wind. He drew his knives quickly underneath his sleeves to prepare for combat. Logun’s path was getting narrower and narrower as he approached his destination. The further he went, the more dirtier it was. Scraps, scum, waste, and dirt were everywhere in the alley. The end of the path was merely a dead end. There wasn’t even a door, but the speed he was traveling with was impossible to allow a man to open a door. Instead of stopping for the dead end, he ran vertically up on the wall that lead to the light. Logun covered his eyes preventing the sun from burning his eyes.

After the twenty floor run, he landed on top of the roof of the building hastily then ran straight ahead. What was he doing as a hangman? Logun was rushing if there wasn’t enough time left. Time does not wait for any man anyway so he made his speed so hastily. He heard the wind and his own speed as he ran with two knives. Logun then saw the edge that he was running to and then jumped without hesitation through a twenty floor free fall. His was diving at the pentagram that was painted on the surface. The area was absent of civilians or any pedestrian activity. It only appeared as a ghost town. There was a bridge that led to the building but the path opposite of the bridge led to another street which was parallel to Logun’s side. As Logun went closer to the pentagram, it glowed red and he saw a demonic face that did not scare Logun but made him feel welcome.

Instead of crashing onto the ground with broken bones or becoming collapsed body, he traveled through a completely new dimension, well it wasn’t new to him, he had been in it for so many times it was familiar to him. Logun found himself very high from the pentagram he was at, except that he was at the opposite side of the pentagram. He heard the screams that was at the underworld, he saw the city rapidly shift and twist around. The bridge that was across him curved upward and caused fragments to float away quickly. He grew a custom to the twisted side of the city which was the underworld. The bridge size violently expanded leaving platforms. One building, two buildings, three buildings had an invisible force that forced out giant fragments to create disorder.  

Right when Logun landed on the sidewalk, he had to balance himself on the bending surface. He ran quickly through the open space the fractured buildings created. He leaped across the platforms that were created one by one. He stopped jumping for a moment to look around his peripherals as if he were the predator that would search for its prey. When he sliced a window open he saw the man Andrew Walker on the road who was reported from the news. It was the man in which everybody pointed their fingers at. Andrew ran away once he saw Logun.

“No!” pleaded Andrew who was scared as he was holding something in his jacket. Andrew took the first step which was to run. Unfortunately Logun’s reflexes were superior to Andrew’s cowardly instincts. Logun threw a knife behind Andrew’s back which went through his back. The blood splattered and sprayed from his exit wound furiously. A book fell from his jacket which was the bible. Andrew fell down forward before he puked blood from his mouth.

“Don’t kill me... oh please don’t kill me....don’t do it...don’t” begged Andrew while he was crawling. Perhaps it was pointless for Andrew to beg. Logun then pulled out his desert eagles which were two pistols. He shot the crawling man before he could finish his sentence. Logun would not reason with the man, Logun would not bargain with the man, he was a target and a sinner according to Dick Bobber’s report. Logun then grabbed the man’s head after he could not hear Andrew’s voice any more. Andrew was still breathing but could not articulate at all. His hands struggled, struggled, and struggled by grabbing Logun’s hand but Logun did not let go.

Logun then sliced Andrew’s head off at an instant with his knife. The blood splattered from the decapitated body onto the ground. Logun was holding the head that was dripping blood.

He killed a poor defenseless man. Isn’t it fun just how Carnegie said it? Of course to the rest of all hangmen, but....wait, look at Logun’s face. Where is the fun that he had? Logun treated it as if it were just a mere chore. He did say he wanted to be a hangman fourteen years ago, right?

Logun then sprung out of the pentagram. He was back at the regular world right where the fresh air was. He held a bloody bag that was still dripping. This is what the citizens wanted, right? It was the man accused of treason. But the only thing he carried was the bible. Yeah, sure it was harmful. It definitely made people upset right? Well whatever the case, Logun had to report to Carnegie Spree that the target is now deceased. Great job Logun, you have done your duty. In the meanwhile he thought to himself.

Author's Note

This is a new version of the chapter after a long series of editing. What do you think?

Reviews

[RainDancer1997]

Wow, this is going greatly right now:) So well described and well written! I could practically see what was happening:)

[llala]

WOW amazing work.
I literally seen everything I've read.
You have a talent for describing things in great detail and you really kept me wanting to read more.

[Xerclipse]

thanks for checking this chapter out. You also have talent too. this story isn't going anywhere and will always wait for you. But there are chapters that do have to be posted later on and this story is far from being done

[Shep]

I like it a lot. Once again you surprise me. I see tons improvement in your writing. waiting for the next chapter. I should also note that i like this better than your script writing. but then again i am partial or bios when comes to novels.

[Xerclipse]

I hope the next chapter comes out but patience is the key.

yeah I realized I couldn't retire from Writer's cafe forever. I thought about, what if Shep has more to tell on his own story, what about my other friends, will my previous work Epic Grim still be alive to the website?

Then I decided to finally write again introducing a new story. I learned from my inactive times from the website "its not just about what you write about, it's about how you write or deliver it."

This review means alot coming from you Shep. It's time to say good bye to those old and ameature stories such as Harvest and Epic Grim. I have said before Epic Grim is the last script I will ever write so now Ghost Runner will be come out to be my first written novel on the website! I noticed a trend and a redundancy that kept on repeating in my other stories which is why I will do my best to make the story different and better from the rest but with the same style of mine. Once again thank you Shep ;) !!! It's great to have an old friend back.

[Shep]

You know you can always rewrite them into novel form. There is no rule saying you can't.

[Xerclipse]

I've thought about that but I just had an idea which was Ghost Runner. I've toyed with Epic Grim's first chapters just for practice. But then the real meat of the transitioning from script to novel form was taking the criticisms from others and rewriting it again. There are bad novels written in novel form not in script but i dont want to fall into that category.

[Writer #00]

His long black hair was tied back from a pony tail band.-->perhaps try: ...WITH a ponytail band/ hairband.

Under that short goatee was his emotionless face.-->I think you meant: ABOVE that short goatee was his emotionless face. Goatees are on the chin, and most of the face is located upward from there. : )

Very vivid description of Logun, I can imagine him clearly with still enough room to use my imagination to envision him.

Haha! The news report was both a great tool to advance the plot and a ironically humorous. The "messenger of heaven" had a little bipolar moment when he just cursed about Walker while telling the "children" to stab him to death. Is it wrong that that makes me laugh?

Speaking of the children, I liked the analogy with childrens' submission to television and those kids' shows (am I the only one who thought those were creepy?) to citizens of the utopian city and the news. Great insight.

Woah, this second-part of chapter one(?) was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! All sorts of questions are popping in my head as you unfold the world(s) you have created and the corruption in both. I look forward to the next chapter!

Great job/100

[Xerclipse]

Logun: I've tried to work on how the hell he would look like but im glad you love the description.read moreLogun: I've tried to work on how the hell he would look like but im glad you love the description.

News report: Lol that type of reporting I saw was in "V for Vendetta" and in the new game "DMC" (Devil May Cry). It's not wrong that the news makes you laugh regarding the fact I found humor in a reporting like that before.

Children analogy: Yes the subordinates are really children in a utopia city. That's how the government and the hangmen view their subordinates.

Corruption in worlds: Well they do tend to work together. The world we know is just a mask, but the underworld is where all the real dark stuff happens and thats where Hangmen do business and do cleaning

Thank you for reading this chapter and I do hope you are still looking forward to the next chapter.

[Writer #00]

Yep, my reading-lion is still hungry! Great meaning behind the cities.

[Shep]

You took the words right out my mouth.

[Writer #00]

: )