Writing Prompt

My breath shaken and heavy My bones feel weighted down and free at the same time I managed to break the ball and chain Though it costs me more than humane ways The bells clang and boom behind me But it’s all around me, in my ears, in my heart I run from the skeletons and ghouls They are coming for me, I must hide They say I must die and stay dead “No one is to escape the City of Death” But I run, I cannot accept death I have so much to still live for I must go back to them I can’t let them mourn over me when I’m still fighting I’m still trying so don’t walk away while I’m running I feel as if I cannot breathe The closer I get the more my body grows back The blood and muscle start to cover these brittle bones I’m coming just wait for me Here come the horses and the men on fire with rage They say I cannot run away If you die you must stay dead “No one is to escape the City of Death” You won’t catch me, I am not weak All those lost souls and ruined faces They gave up because they saw no reason to run Who would wait for them? Who would wait for me? I have faith Lord help me so I can breathe My skin crawling back onto me My feet getting cut and scarred They run around me throwing chains with hooks It pierces my skin and makes me scream in agony I’m so close, I can see the river just ahead It carries their voices of pain and grief “No one is to escape the City of Death” Then I am no one I scream as I pull the hooks out of my skin Limply running towards the river I take quarter breaths then half I’m a breath away I feel a slash across my back, I gasp And fall into the river They glare at me and turn away I take a breath “No one escaped the City of Death”

_Everyday the crows stare _ They watch as the wind whips her hair Everyday the rats gaze Watching, silent, through the haze __ Though wherever she goes it is grim, Everyday she thinks only of him.

Her old shoes slam against the cobble as she runs, scattering the crows and rats. The bells ring, signalling the end of a day. But still she sprints through the deserted street. Her slim frame cuts through the wind faster than anyone would think. She passes by the ripped flag, hanging limp despite the strong wind. A group of rats feasting on a pizza pause and stare as she passes by, tears streaming down her face.

Her feet splash into a puddle of murky water, adding itself to the mud embedded on her old grey shorts, so close. She continues running even when she feels the familiar sense of dread that follows the reapers. They grab her shaky shoulders, she kicks out at them, screaming and crying as she watches the gate disappear. She falls to her knees and screams, a sound of pure agony as they continue to drag her along. Numb to her pain.

But today is different. Today is his birthday. She has to get out. She bites and kicks like a rabid animal. She bites one of the reapers boney hands, she kicks at their shins, she aims her next kick carefully, and hits true. She hears a grunt. She hears a grunt! She hears a reaction. So she kicks again, once again at his crotch. Another hit. He grunts, but nothing more. The clock inches closer to midnight. His birthdays almost up.

She twists her arms out of their grip, overcome by rage and adrenaline. She runs through one of the alleyways, a large rock sits at the side of a building, she throws it at a nearby pane of glass, by the side of the road, it shatters and she picks up the largest shard. It cuts into her hand but the adrenaline stops the pain. When the reapers come for her she slashes through one of their robes, exposing the vulnerable white skin, taut over their bones. She stabs and brings out the shard of glass. He turns to dust and floats into the wind. Keeping her face to the other reapers, she reaches down towards the rock. Her hand comes up covered in blood, but holding it. She throws it at the closest reaper. And keeping hold of the glass she runs. Not bothering to turn her head. She runs through the alleyway. The bell tower comes out of the mist, her heart soars. She runs underneath the bell, and pauses, she knows shes safe. They can’t reach her here.

The crows live, in this hell, They watch the woman beneath the bell. The rats gaze, as they stand tall, And watch the bell begin to fall. __ Even though the future looks grim Still, she thinks only of him.

“Lazy ass.” Stork scoffed playfully to Grim Reaper, who hardly lifted a bony finger in centuries. Well, until now, if only to give him the finger in response.

As if that wasn’t enough, he then said with a nonchalant smile, “Not my problem. If the humans want to live forever, then fine by me. I’ve got better things to do.”

“Like what?” Stork asked sceptically.

“Like dream about visiting Atlantis. Or watch a nature documentary on koalas. Or cook pasta.” Grim proudly declared.

Stork’s voice softened. “I love pasta.”

“I know.” Grim Reaper rolled his eyes, “I ask you to come over for your favourite movie, but you’re busy. I ask you to come over for your favourite video game, but you’re busy. So maybe if I perfect your favourite recipe, you’ll finally visit me.”

Stork averted eye contact, his beak now shut. He didn’t think it bothered Grim that he wasn’t around as much as he used to be.

“Yet here you are now.” Grim Reaper crossed his arms and shrugged lightly. “Did you come to finally hang out, or did you just come to insult me?” He chuckled, yet there was a bitter truth to his words.

“No, I…” Stork felt awkward now. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with me. To, uh… leave the City of Death.”

Grim Reaper immediately snorted. “Whaaaat?” He asked, his voice an octave higher. “Really? You’re joking, right?”

“No!” Stork whined, trying to get him to take this seriously. “We can sneak past the other reapers and make it to the mortal— I mean, erm, human world! I’ll never have to overwork, and you’ll have stuff to do again, and we can hang out like we used to.”

There was a string of silence as Grim Reaper contemplated this, completely taken aback. He was used to his friend’s outlandish ideas, and this was possibly the most absurd of them all. Yet it sounded so, so tempting.

“But, um… a stork has never quit their job before. Reapers have, sure, but with how strict you guys are up there… Look, I mean, what would even happen to a human newborn if no one’s there to give it life?” Grim grimaced.

“I don’t know, but it’s better than making their overpopulation problem worse.” Stork dismissed carelessly. “Come on, there’s so much we can do together! We can visit Atlantis like you want. And we can see a real life koala too!”

Grim chuckled at his insistence. “Okay, okay! You might be onto something there.”

“See? Yes!” Stork fluttered his wings with eager little flaps. “So… shall we? Or do you want to stay here and do nothing all day?” He teased.

No way would Grim Reaper take any more teasing. He laughed and picked up his satchel, and slung it around his shoulders.

Then he opened the door and said, “Over my dead body!”

I walk around, shielded my the robes I bear. Enchanted with the ability of invisibility, I am not seen, heard or spotted. I see the exit. Guarded heavily by the undead, ready to rip and tear through my flesh. I make a mad dash, the robe flies off after getting snagged. I barely make it. The horde of the undead saw me, but it was too late, I was out. The memories come flooding back, having to find dumpsters to sleep in, hiding from the creatures that awaited my flesh and bones on the daily. Blood sucking vampires, werewolf’s, demons and heretics awaited the streets for any human canvas to pass by. We were dropped in random areas, like a call of duty video game nightmare. We had to collect weapons and defend ourselves everyday to avoid death. The only reason I found out there was an exit from this hell was because of a brave soul, yes a soul. When a human dies, their soul wonders the City of Death hopeful for a way out just like the flesh of us. I’m so glad that I made it. I’m so happy it feels like a dream. I pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming. Turns out I’m no longer who I say I am. My soul has been wondering the streets for years. My invisibility cloak. It’s no cloak, I’m merely a ghost. A remnant of what I once was. No one escapes the city of death. No one.

The city was dark, ruined, and black. But the thing I remembered the most was the screaming. Screaming tortured souls who thought they didn’t belong here. I used to be one of them you know, until I found a way out.

The bell tower on Fifth Boulevard was a part of my route. The same thing every day. Little did the bell keeper know, I had been sent to the wrong place. Not the city of the living, the special city for the dead who were extra evil. I wasn’t necessarily evil, just misunderstood, and yes, I do know karate. It was simple, really, but I’m telling you this anyway. While cupping my hands into the water fountain for a drink, I noticed a glint of metal. Yes, they poisoned our water with metal to torture our insides, but we were already dead. I reached for the knife, (the idiot who put this in here would for sure be fired.) I inched closer to my guard, pretending I was ready to be locked up again, and stabbed him through the middle. The chances of this being a knife with rusty copper was low, and I probably would’ve been punished. Somehow it wasn’t, and I knew he was guiding me. My eyes glinted with tears, and I watched as the guard collapsed to the stone floor covered in sharp metal shards to give us tetanus. Before the alarm sounded I ran. The city gates were near, I could sense it. I didn’t take any wrong turns, and the gates were open. I said a silent prayer to thank him, and ran. The green valley shone before me, and below that the city of life. ”I’m coming Charlie.” And I ran.

I followed lost souls trying to find their way out of the city. They attuned their silence To the eerie tinkering of bells. A slight gust of wind posed risk of obliteration, Softened the crunch of October’s brittle leaves.

Blue shadows enshrouded me—

I saw the undertaker lurking in the fog, Hooks for hands, Shovels for feet.

He started to dig a sinkhole For the earth to take me in as her dust. Buried alive to unbury what’s been killing me lately.

My pine box will go unfulfilled for another day. My tomb without an epitaph.

I trekked the underworld caverns Until I reached an opening in the space between the living and the dead.

I poked my head out To intoxicate my senses with fresh air. It is brighter up here—

A world in full color.

A travler seeking shelter for the night wondered into a city. He didn’t know this city or even knew there was a city hear.

              He knew something was off the second he was in the city limits. Unlike outside, the city had a dark aura around it. A tanted blue washed over everything, like a corps. No life was in site.

              He wanted to get himself and his horse out as soon as possible. 

               As his horse trotted through the cobblestone streets, the click clack was all he herd. Then a bell tolled. The air got unatraly cold. 

               It started with one, then two, five, now easily one hundred twisted forms emerged out of the shadows. Each looked vaguely human. Some had a nooses around there necks, others were impaled or beheded. All signs of death, or execution. 

               He started to sprint on his horse as the dead twisted forms surrounded him with broken limbs, gaping mouths, and  hollowed out eyes. 

                 They started to crawl up his horse, sending it into a panic. The horse kicked and thrashed. Each movement chunks of flesh was ripped away. 

                 The horse collapsed and the travler was ripped away from it. 

                  He kicked and punched and somehow got away as the forms surrounded the horse. 

                  Runing away he looked back to see if the forms where chasing him. Instead he saw the dead body of his horse twisting and breaking until it fully transformed and stood. 

                 Head twisted upside down, limbs splayed and backwards, bones sticking out like spikes, the horses took charge at the travler. 

                The travler ran despretly despite knowing he couldn’t out run the twisted horses. 

                 Hearing the horses right on his heals he started to prey. 

                 Mabby some one heard him, because he saw the end of the city. 

                He jumped forward as the horse opened its wide mouth full of sharp teeth. The traveler could of sworn he felt the air around him shift as the horse just missed a bite, then the travler was out. 

                 He had crossed the city limits. One more second he would of bean a twisted being of death. 

                 Looking back he saw the city disappear in a cloud of smoke. 

                 He survived and told his story. Then it was passed on and on until it was a legend, but he knew the truth. The City of Death was very real and waiting to kill.

Everything was normal, one beautiful day I had been walking down the street, buzzing with the joy of others, but it all came to an abrupt halt when an ear piercing screeching sounded. Then came the screams of people around me as they were killed off one by one. Everyone started running, their attempts seemingly failing as the creature attacked them, it seems that many people had been past the death date and the grim reaper had to make up for the lack of death. Instead of killing the people who’s time was up, the dark creature had simply chosen a city to pray upon instead. I ran towards a small shop, hoping to avoid anything and everything happening outside, when I reached the shop, I saw others also hiding, some crying, most silently staring into the distance, watching what was happening behind that tinted glass window.

How horrific that while most died that day, some lived on, only wondering through allies to avoid that dark creature, looking for every last person to step foot outside. Hoping to escape, I devised a plan, gathered everything I needed, and ran for it, it’d be a long way out but in the end, I get to have the normal life I wished to have before. Everything was abandoned, and broken, useless for hiding spots to sleep for the night and search for food. But regardless, I carried on till me legs nearly gave out on every occasion, running and running as fast as I could, not daring to look behind me.

Finally after weeks of running, I reached the end of the city, turning back just once before officially leaving and beginning my long way towards another city to once again restart me life.

As I flee, This city of death, I drop the key, And catch my breath.

I finally escaped, And opened the door, The night time draped, And I started a war.

The ghosts and ghouls, All followed my track, As strong as a bull, I felt their attack.

I fell to my defeat, And looked for the key, Oh how this treat, Has been taken from me.

My bare feet hit the ground hard and I just kept running. I didn’t look back and I bolted through the piles of debris as fast as I could. The clamoring of the town could be heard gaining up on me. I was scared. But now as much as I was determined.