Writing Prompt
STORY STARTER
Submitted by HardCoreWriter
Write a story about a character slowly getting closer and closer to evil.
Try to show the change through their actions and words instead of stating it outright.
Writings
Turbid waters
It was fine, he thought, it was going to be fine. There was a certain sense of unease somewhere around the pit of Lothar's stomach. But, strangely enough, it also felt kind of good. He felt like he was in the grip of two contrasting forces, but the more he tried to understand them, the more the lines between them would become blurrier and blurrier. This was concerning, he'd always seen himself as someone aligned with what is good and upstanding, but right now he'd completely lost his bearings. It was as if the clear waters he'd traversed throughout his life had suddenly turned turbid. He was now a lost, stranded man, and could no longer care for crossing the waters in a straight line, no, this was about making it to the other side. He had to survive, in whichever way. Nothing else mattered any more, and somehow, this felt good. He could recognise good at least, in these stormy waters. He had to let that feeling guide him, his only anchor. In that sense, then, he had no choice but to pull that lollypop out of that little boy's firm grip. Yes, on the surface, this was very easy to do, but hardly anyone could imagine Lothar's internal turmoil. The little boy was surely stealing the show with his screeching and gnashing of teeth, but no matter, it was going to be just fine. Sugar was helping, as ever.
Open The Door
Erm, warningâ blood, tied up ppl, murder, cannibalism, kidnapping, all that not so fun stuff âșïž If any of this happens to bother you, donât bother reading. âââ
SCARLET POV
âWhy wonât you listen to me Scarlet?!â She yelled, punching the dining table with her fist as she towered over me. âYou must choose a husband!â
âI am listening! I just havenât found someone I-â
âYou shouldnât be looking! I married your father, didnât I? He was such an idiot but I never questioned my mother!â Her voice softened. âI want you to be taken care of, my daughter.â
I glared at her. âNo you donât mom! You want me trapped. Trapped to marry someone I donât love, trapped to have a daughter or son, and I donât have any choice!â
She sighed exasperated. âScarlet! Stop talking back this instant or Iâllââ
âThatâs how conversations work!â
She gasped. âTake her to her room servants.â
I felt as two servants pull me away from my mother. âYou canât just do this to me! I oughtaââ
âBring her out faster!â Mother yelled.
Quickly, I was dragged to my room and thrown inside. My mother followed with a silver key. âThis is for your own good.â
I heard the lock turn and my mothers light footsteps walk away. I looked in the keyhole and saw the key still there. Now time to figure out how to get out.
STAGAETH POV
âIs this really the way boss?â I mumbled, slouching. âI mean, I know your sister fucked up butââ
âShe didnât just âfuck up,â she ruined everything! She deserves this.â Boss smiled. âAnd I deserve to see her die.â
I nodded. Boss deserved everything she wanted. She was awesome. She was smart. Most of all, she cared for me. Well, cared enough to keep me alive. I smiled and pulled out my lock pick.
âI got this boss.â I grunted as I stuck it in the palace doors. âAlso, whatcha gonna do with her daughter? Your niece?â
I could basically hear bosses annoyance. âOh right.â She paused. âMaybe Iâll take her in too. Like I did for you Stagaeth.â
âWhat-â I fell into the castle as the doors gave out. âA new minion? Are you replacing me boss?â
âNo my sweet little slave. No princess could replace my favorite goblin.â She said, though there was a hint of lies in her words.
I shook the thoughts of replacement away and let her in. âGet ready.â Boss threw a potion at the floor and we appeared in the queens living quarters.
âCouldnât you have done done that outside, before I broke in?â I stuttered.
âOf course, but you wouldnât be of use to me on this mission if I did. Now do you have the supplies?â Boss smiled, her sharp teeth gleaming.
âOf course boss!â I giggled, excited. Itâs been so long since my last meal.
I walked over to the queens bed where she slept, carefully lifting her head to succure a gag before she blinked awake, surprised. Then as she started trying to scream through the gag I grabbed her wrists and clamped chains around them, wrapping it around the bed leg. Boss came in and smiled at me.
âGood goblin. Now eat.â
FAELA POV
Finally, it was over. After a long, bloody night, she was definitely, absolutely dead. And I could finally use my shapeshifting spell to look like her. The fun part was done. But step two might be more difficult.
âGo kill a servant Stagaeth. Then I can transform you too.â
âTwo meals in one day?! Thanks boss!!â Stagaeth smiled, hopping out.
âMake it quick this time though!â I yelled after him. He was a the biggest idiot ever, but he got the work done.
As I prepared the spell he came back. âDone!â He laughed, licking his lips, the blood clearing. âLetâs do this boss!â
LATER
I strolled the halls in the morning, looking exactly like my late sister. No servant stopped and stared, no soldier I had put to sleep last night did anything other than bow. I felt overpowered but loved it. Then we neared my nieces door.
âGet her out. Do you have supplies left over?â I said to Stagaeth.
âYes boss! Got that!â He smiled. But the door wouldnât budge.
âIt wonât open!â He frowned at me.
âThen open. it.â I sighed. I had no more teleportation potions, nor patience for this.
âMy lock picks are busted!â He whined. âI canât!â
âThe convince her to come out.â
Stagaeth banged on the door. âSCARLET!â
I could hear the princess walk to the door. âScarlet open the door!!â
âSCARLET! Come on out! I need to talk to you!â
I shoved him away. âScarlet!â
âMom?â I heard from the other side.
âScarlet open the door please. My love open the door!â I said innocently, sweetly.
âScarlet, can we not fight anymore please, let me set you free.â I smiled as I heard her sigh.
âNo mom, Iââ
âIâm gonna count to threeâŠâ
âOne.â
I heard the lock turn.
âTwo.â
The door creaked open as my spell wore off, revealing our true forms.
âGet her!â
â€ïž Ik when I come back itâs this monstrosity. Sorry Iâve been gone
Orange man
Donât you know the president? Who hates our rights So he takes them away
The one with the awful toupe His skin as orange as the end of day Who dosent give us a say
Donât you know the president Whoes probably a white supremicist Who probably does crack on the weekends
Whoes right hand man Is just as bad as he And his friend who we all think is a Nazi
Donât you know the president The self tanner got to his brain So now he causes us all pain
He tourture us for who we are Never lets us see who we could be hurts un endlessly
Dont you know the president Who sends away our rights puts different people on flights to far far away
Save us in america Our rights are stripped away I fear that half of us wonât see a day Where everything is ok
Fumes of Sin
The winter wind was unforgiven as it nipped at David's skin. Then again it was his decisions that led him to be standing in nothing but his breifs in the backyard just before dusk. However his focus was not on the gooseflesh rising on his skin, but the flames infront of him, his soiled clothes collected in a heap inside the man-made fire pit. If he focused hard enough he would swear the fumes reaked of burning flesh, abeilt he wasn't a credible source given how many white lines he'd indulged in this evening.
David learned from an early age that his reputation was profound. His parents had an upstanding part in their small-knit town. This made it easy for him to play the system. It was a mask he could fall back on when he found himself in trouble even as a school boy, a ruse he could use to place blame on others for even the smallest of wrong doings.
At the time he believed he was of no wrong, that he was merely protecting himself as well as evading his father's wrath. But David was no fool. He was self-aware enough to know the sin he committed tonight was unexcusable, that his God would not forgive him so easily for taking another's life.
But Richard deserved to die, that is what he had convinced himself. Richard stood in his way and needed to fall for it, so that David could have what was rightfully his. Surely his God could come to understand that, the lengths unto which David had to go to in order to preserve his friendship with Lyle.
David would wash his hands of his crime and pray to his God for understanding, yet not for forgiveness. David held no guilt, despite knowing he should. That it is only human to feel such useless regret. But his lack there of only made him believe that he may not be human at all, that God himself had played a hand in David's actions tonight; that he may as well be God if killing Richard was such an easy feat.
As David stared into the flames, content with himself and what he had accomplished, he wondered to himself why people attempted to wash the blood from their clothes when fire proved more efficient than bleach.
Maniac
I slam my fist on the table in front of me, rage coursing through me. âYouâre telling me we are just gonna let them take all those people away?â I hiss, my voice dripping with malicious intent. I planned to kill them all, all of them. Every single one who decided to capture half the population of a helpless village. It was infuriating and I would stand with the people. My slouched body language in the chair could hardly convey the anger and fury spreading like fire throughout my body. âLavena, slow down,â Iran had told me, holding his hands with his eyes wide. As if he could stop me. Nobody could. I laugh exasperatedly. âSlow down..? Slow down!? Are you kidding me?â I exclaim, my voice rising higher and higher with every word. Iran shakes his hand, concealing his frustration with me. Iranâs P.O.V Lavena has not been the same since she realized truly how much power she had. She has killed so, so many people and it has only made her more and more distant from herself. And I hate to say it, but more distant from me. Weâve been âenemiesâ our whole lives and this has just made her hardly want to roll her eyes at me anymore. It makes me sick at my stomach to say I miss it. But I do, I miss our eye rolling. I miss our arguments. I miss all those moments where we acted more like lovers than enemies. Hell, I miss her. The REAL her. Not this⊠evil side of her. I had to bring her back. âLavena, please..â I beg, my hands out as if I could reach out and touch her and sheâd snap back into it. âWhat, Iran? What could you possibly say that would possibly fix anything?â Lavena says, spitting out venom as she talks. My eyes widen. She wasnât herself. It makes me nauseous to know she never will be herself. I watched her demeanor change, her emerald green eyes didnât glow as bright. Her blonde, shiny hair seemed to shine less and less everyday. It was odd to watch her always stalk around instead of walk gracefully like she always did. Her eyes were also always so wide, like she was on high alert for anyone who tried to piss her off. God I hated this side of her.
*Back to Lavenaâs P.O.V.*
God I hated this side of me. I just wish, somehow, I could erase the day I saw one of my friendsâ guts splatter all over me. She had turned to the evil side, and tried to kill me. âYou had to Lavena, it was what was right. Itâs okay, shh..â Iran had told me. I wish I could believe him. Suddenly, my eyes widen and I look down at my hands. âWhat am I?â I exclaim, my hands shaking with a million different emotions. Iranâs looks at me like heâs never looked at me. A look that made my stomach do weird things. Weird things I hated. God I hate it, I hate it, I hate- I lash out and plunge the dagger I had had clenched in my fist all this time into his heart. Seeing Iranâs blood splatter everywhere was the most satisfying thing ever. I smirk as he face gets stuck in a permanent look of shock forever. My smirk widens as I look at the blood covering my hands, even more wiping on my hands as I wipe a hand down my face. âIâm such a maniac..â I say, my voice satisfied.
Too Young
Carol did not have the best childhood. She also did not make the best decisions. She honestly never made any good decisions. Having a kid didnât make that any better. It was probably better to give the child up when born. As time went on resentment grew. She couldnât stand the pressure of taking care of a child without much support or stability that she couldnât give herself. She abandoned her baby at a park so she could start a new life. She had completely given up and no longer cared. The baby was on itâs own for someone else in the world to find. She also probably wouldnât be remembered anyways at such a young age. The baby doesnât have to know.
Beware the War Zone. Wait, It's Just a School
Rory Lockwood was not as bright eyed and bushy tailed as she was when started to make her dreams into reality. As an undergraduate student, she often thought of how worth it the monotonous classes and tedious assignments would be when she finally got the change to teach a class of her own and be the difference she wanted to see in the world.
She wasn't even as spirited as she was on the first day of school, 3 years in to her career as an elementary school teacher. She knew the truth about the profession, but she still held on to the positivity and the lives of the children she could make better.
No. Now at 26 years old, Rory Lockwood was completely and positively jaded. The dream had officially died. Because even though Rory still held the same love for children and teaching that she always had, there was one particular aspect of the job that had ruined it to the point of no return.
"My daughter needs someone to monitor her every time she does a worksheet so the pencil doesn't hurt her. Same thing with lunch; she needs someone to feed her to make sure she doesn't choke.
"I'm sorry Mrs. James, but that is not an accommodation I can make for Lena."
"And why can't you, Miss Lakewell? I don't think it's too much to ask."
"Along with Lena, I have 22 other students I'm responsible for. I simply don't have the capacity to make individual accommodations for every student as one person. Any accommodations will have to be made through administration or the special education team."
"Special Education? What are you saying about my Lena, Miss Lukewarm?"
"Nothing, Mrs. James, it was just a suggestion for where you might be able to get the help you're looking for."
"Help? My Lena is perfect. She doesn't need any help. How could they let someone so evil be around our dear children?"
It took every last bit of poor Miss Lockwood's self restraint to not act on her thoughts and show Mrs. James what evil could truly look like. Although the true evil was letting poor little Lena grow up with the likes of her mother. There was nothing Rory could do about that, though. All she could do was begin to consider alternate career paths in which she never had to interact with another parent ever again and settle on imagining just how evil she could have been to Mrs. James, if only there weren't consequences.
Diary #2
**_November 6, 2024
_**Mom still hasnât come back. I donât know why I am disappointed. Itâs my 9th birthday without her. She shouldâve at least been here to see her daughter turn 18. Joshua and Marion made me a cake and prepared a gift with the scraps they had saved from mowing Dr. Kishongâs yard. I told them they shouldnât have, they could have bought some extra chicken wings, but the new socks were really nice. Everyone in the neighborhood adores Dr. Kishong. I donât get why. He is supposedly rich but he only gives us chump change after a few hours of work. Why did he adopt us then? If he was just going to make us work to afford our own clothes and food then we were better off still in the orphanage. At least there we could eat for free. I wonder how Kenney is doing.
**_November 10, 2024
_**Dr. Kishong told me I have two weeks left in his house before I have to leave because Iâm an adult and should live on my own or something. I would understand a little more if I had a stable position in my life. But he wonât let me look for a job, wonât give me more money, and wonât let me work extra. How are Joshua and Marion going to make it without me? Dr. Kishong barely lets them work, both of their money combined can barely afford a burger and fries, so they would have to skip meals to afford clothes and other necessities. If Dr. Kishong had let me go to school then I maybe would have a friend who would let me live with them. What am I going to do?
**_November 13, 2024
_**Kishong is getting even more unbearable by the day. He took Joshua to his office and wouldnât allow me to come. Iâve waited so long. Marion is crying. Where is Joshua?
**_November 15, 2024
_**WHERE IS JOSHUA!?
**_November 16, 2024
_**Kishong came back. No sign of Joshua. I kept asking him where Joshua was, but he would dodge the question every time. He got mad at me after the fifth time and he slapped me. I have a bruised cheek now. I tried to hide it from Marion but she saw it. I have a week left with a roof under my head. I canât leave Marion with this man. Where is Joshua?
_November 18, 2024 _
He hit Marion⊠That bastard hit Marion⊠There was a table knife right there but I only managed to dig it into his forearm. Iâm locked inside an empty room. Marion isnât allowed to talk to me. There is still no sign of Joshua.
**_November 22, 2024
_**Iâve been allowed two slices of bread and two glasses of water daily. Marion found a way to sneak to see me. She whispers through the crack under the door. Joshua isnt back yet. Marion is okay. That Bastard hasnât done anything to her. Yet.
**_November 24, 2024
_**I was finally let out of the room. Only to get kicked out of the house. Marion was allowed to give me a final goodbye. Kishong still wonât tell me where Joshua is. I will try to find him. I wonder where I will sleep tonight.
**_November 28, 2024
_**Its cold. I should have bought that sweater instead of that plush Marion wanted. I was stupid to let her have something she didnât need over something I needed. I wonder how she is doing. I shouldnât regret making her happy, even if it was just for a little bit. But Iâm cold. and lonely. And angry.
_December 13, 2024 **** _i have an interview for a job tomorrow, a small cafe far from Kishong. I still havent found Joshua. Marion is ok though. I saw her at a store today. Kishong promised not to report me to the police when he caught me grabbing my lunch. Only if I promised to stay away though. Away from Marion. Marion cried. I miss her. Who knew Iâd ever miss sleeping at that place? Kishong grabbed Marion and put her behind him. I dont like the way he grabbed her. She was uncomfortable, I could tell.
_December 20, 2024 _ Kishong came by the cafe today. I hid in the back. I saw Marion in the passenger side of his car. She would never sit there. None of us would. Why would he make her sit there? And what is he doing out here? itâs so far from his house.
_December 23, 2024 _ That Bastard Touched Her
_December 24, 2024 _ I stabbed him
_December 25, 2024 _ Jail sucks. This girl is super annoying. But at least they got food. And that shower i took felt nice. Marion was placed in foster care. I hope she is ok.
_December 31, 2024 _ Joshua is dead
_January 1, 2025 _ I broke out
**_January 5, 2025
_**Kishong is dead.
Bits And Pieces
The water swirls pink in the sink. I scrub furiously at my hands, working the dried blood from my skin. Itâs settled in my cuticles and under my nails; creased in the lines of my knuckles. Tiny lines of red that tell me Iâve done something horrible. If I only I could remember what it was. Â Someone pounds at the bathroom door. Â âAnna, hurry up! Iâm late for work,â Sasha, my roommate, yells. Â âOne sec!â I croak. My hands look clean, the running water snaking the last of the blood down the drain. I close my eyes and will my breathing to slow to a normal speed. The faucet is off, but I can still hear the rush of water in my ears as a flood of images sweep across my mindâs eye â streetlight, dark brick wall, leather jacket, glinting knife, soft stomach, blooming red. I try to hold each image and expand it, stitching the images together into a single scene. But it remains bits and pieces, like frame grabs from a movie. Â The sound in my ears retreats. My breathing steadies. With a loud exhale, I open my eyes and squint against the sudden brightness of the bathroom. I look carefully at my face in the mirror, checking for blood, yes, but also other signs. Anything that might tell the outside world thereâs a terrible monster lurking within. My nose is nearly touching the mirror as I stare at my reflection. I blink. Back up. Close my eyes and shake my head. Open them again and stare. Â One of my eyes â instead of its normal blue â has darkened to black.
footprints in the dark
....
Taehyung stood by the window, feeling the cold seeping into every cell of his body, but it didn't bother him. He simply watched as the world around him grew quiet, as nothing could disturb him. He wasn't sure what he felt, but he knew one thing - he didn't care anymore. Too many times he had hoped, too many times he had tried to find meaning in this world, and now he had simply stopped looking.
Downstairs, in the room, the voice of Jung, his Gook, sounded softly. That voice was always there, like a steadfast anchor, trying to keep him from disappearing into his own shadow. Taehyung knew that Jung was worried, that he still believed in him, but... how to explain that he had lost himself a long time ago? He was no longer who he used to be.
"What are you standing there for?" â Jungkook came up behind him, his cold fingers touching Taehyung's shoulder, and in that moment Taehyung felt the warmth of his body. It was the only thing that kept him from completely collapsing.
â I'm just thinking... â Taehyung didn't turn around. He didn't want to see that worry in Jungkook's eyes. â I think if I let go, maybe it will be easier. I'm tired.
Jungkook was silent, but Taehyung knew that at that moment his boyfriend felt every ounce of pain that Taehyung was experiencing. Jungkook had always been strong, but he didn't know how to deal with this dark part of Taehyung that was becoming more and more a part of him.
â You say that like it will help, â Jungkook chuckled slightly, but there was something tense in his voice. â You can't just disappear, Taehyung. I need you.
Taehyung turned to him, his eyes cold, like the emptiness he was trying to hide. He didnât know why he said it, but the words came out on their own:
âIâm already gone. I just didnât notice it before. And you probably will too⊠soon.â
Jungkook didnât react right away. He stood in the shadows, tense but silent, like never before. His strong hands clenched into fists, but he didnât say anything. He knew that words wouldnât help now. He could only watch as Taehyung, his Taehyung, sank deeper into this fog, into this darkness from which no one could save him.
âYou shouldnât think like that,â Jungkook said, his voice soft but firm. âYouâre not alone. Iâm here.â
Taehyung smiled, not his usual bright smile, but rather the smile of a man who realized that he had lost everything, and now this was becoming the norm.
âDo you believe it?â Taehyung whispered, but there was no anger or reproach in his voice. He simply asked a question he didnât know the answer to. âOr are you telling me this for yourself?â
Jungkook stepped towards him, touching his face. His fingers barely touched Taehyungâs skin, but the gesture was strong enough to keep him in reality, at least for a moment. And yet, Jungkook knew that for Taehyung, that moment was just another step into the abyss, and perhaps nothing could save him.
âI believe in us,â Jungkook said. âBut if you want to disappear, I canât stop you. Iâll just be there. In this world or the next.â
Taehyung smiled again, but this time there was nothing in his eyes except absolute, dark emptiness. He kissed Jungkook on the forehead as if saying goodbye and quietly whispered:
âThen you will watch me disappear.â