Finish the Story Contest - WEEK #16
A contest with a pot of 3 @steembasicincome shares + SBD payout, where everyone wins? You're in the right place!
54 @steembasicincome shares + 20.588 SBD awarded till now through the contest!
Who's @dirge? (from the author's mouth)
Short info about me:
I’m currently editing my first sci-fi novel and plan to pursue that arduous journey of finding a literary agent. Steemit is a way for me to connect, share writing exercises, far-left political shit and my ongoing podcast series, The Forlorn Realm.
Much love to all of you, and may the Crypto Gods be in your favor.
I recommend you all to visit his Steemit account and personal website for some stories that will surely keep you awake by night and, at the same time, enthusiast.
You all will be featured and have the possibility to write the weekly prompt, this contest is not mine but OURS!
Trying to post your story the earliest possible and not at the last moment! Publishing early is going to give it more visibility within the contest community and a higher chance for it to be appreciated and upvoted!
Vote your favorite story (..help me it's becoming harder and harder to choose!)
Things that please the Bananafish mighty god!
- Sustain, comment and upvote each other as a true group of friends and fiction lovers.
- Respect the 500 words limit.
- Post in your blog instead than in the comment section.
- help our contest & workshop to grow by giving it some visibility.
And now.. let's dive into today's story!
LER
If Elissa was going to kill Cornel, this would be it. Isolated in a wood cabin in southeast Limousin, the cult leader went underground with only a handful of followers. The governments of Europe and the world ripped their countries apart in their search for Cornelius Smith, Grand Spiritual Leader of the cult, LER, or, Last Epiphanic Religion. Not only for orchestrating assassinations of public figures, torture or money laundering. Above all, they wanted answers.
Two days before, hundreds of LER followers gathered in major cities across the globe. At precisely seven o’clock at night, they doused themselves in gasoline and committed mass, self-immolation. The gruesome acts were broadcast live on television and social media. It was an act of existential defiance the world had never seen before.
Caught wholly unprepared, police attempted to intervene. They couldn't save a single one. For the moment the flames caught, the followers, to the last woman, disappeared. They left behind only the smell of gasoline.
Supernatural events are best left to imagination or nightmares. Now, the whole world had borne witness to something beyond its understanding.
Elissa got the word from her CIA handler.
Neutralize the target.
Could she? Even if she got past the others, there were questions. Questions that never should be spoken out loud, gnawing at her insides like a tumor with teeth.
They sat around the table, each of them armed with a forty-five at the hip per LER security-protocol. Cornelius relaxed, almost asleep, his long Jesus hair curling around his shoulders. O.M.’s arms folded like a meditating gorilla. Denis Labbat, a man Elissa’d never met, stared at the old wooden clock on the wall. He hadn’t moved, not even blinked since she’d entered the room. If his chest hadn’t heaved as evidence of his breathing, she’d assume the skeletal dark-haired Frenchman was dead. Margeux Blanc, LER’s Paris head, sat restless. Unable to stop her leg from shaking, the woman’s fingers rattled on the wooden table. She glanced at the clock, at Denis and Cornelius, then the windows and back to the clock. Elissa followed her gaze. Outside, the noon sun burned down the gorgeous French woodlands of Limousin.
Cornelius leaned forward. “Our five minutes of silence has reached its climax.” He said.
Denis gazed at the clock.
“What thoughts have you conceived in that time?” Cornelius asked. Elissa met his gaze. Cornel’s eyes were a radiant blue. “Margeux?” he said, not breaking his stare at Elissa. “What do you fear?”
“N-nothing,” Margeux replied. “I’m ready, Grand Spiritual Leader.”
“And you, O.M.?”
The bodyguard grunted.
“Denis?” he asked.
“Almost time.”
“And, you, Elissa? Are you prepared for the meeting?”
The clock struck noon.
The room went dark.
Elissa turned to the windows. Black. Sunless. A void.
Dennis, his bones rattling from his first movement, lit a candle.
Someone knocked at the door like a funeral drum.
“Elissa,” Cornelius said. “Why don’t you greet our visitor?”
I must be drugged, she thought. His eyes are red.
Join the fun! Here is how this contest works:
An unfinished fiction story or a script is posted.
You finish it with your own post or a comment in the comment section. A limit of 500 words is recommended.
YOU WIN! 3 @steembasicincome shares to the writers with the best ending + SBD payout between all the participants who won't get one of the 3 shares.
The result will be out on Monday 18th June, 14:00 PM - two o' clock in the afternoon California time zone. Submission deadline: Monday 18th June, 12:00 PM - noon, California time zone
The @bananafish has come between us!
This week I was able to make it in time, @f3nix. This way my participation.
Go ahead, Marc," Cornel said categorically and firmly.
A man came in with a small scar on his left cheek and a shaved head. He spoke briefly in Cornelius' ear. He looked sideways at Elissa and she felt a chill running down her body. I have to think fast, act fast. The newcomer stood next to Cornelius and looked at her. Her eyes penetrated some space in her mind, she knew that. I was opening passageways, looking for the truth.
Do you know that God's dictatorship goes where it suits us? Cornel spoke as if in a thought. Then he went straight to Elissa.
There are ways to overcome death, such as that of allying with herself," she continued to hold the gaze of the woman who felt her legs weakening. The weight of the 45 on his waist hurt and burned.
Some of us are the embodiment of fear, of anger, of the worst that human beings can feel," he continued to stare at her. It was his imagination or Cornel's eyes had changed color. Elissa felt dizzy, the gastric juices were starting to eat part of her stomach and acid was reaching her throat. What part of her was seeing those eyes. Cornelius followed his monologue:
What are you afraid of, Elissa? What are you afraid of? Did you know that we become immortal if we don't know death? Elissa felt all eyes set on her. She felt cornered like an animal on a hunt. Who had betrayed her, who that newcomer was, what he had said in Cornel's ear. Lots of questions, no answers. He felt a part of his brain threatening to explode. A bitter water came into his mouth, swallowed thick.
You know what's interesting, Elissa," continued the leader with a soft, rhythmic voice, "that some people can be evil to some, but justified by others. Evil is relative. There's a lot of people out there who need to die.
He felt a force come into her and absorb her breath. The blood felt it flow through her veins like a thick river. The eyes had gone in and they were stirring everything inside her. He lost something, strangely enough, his body felt slight.
Take your gun and do what you must, Elissa. Don't be afraid. We all know you'll do the right thing," Cornelius sneered one last look.
Elissa took the gun and, as in a dream, she mounted it. His gaze was still in Cornel's eyes. A dark, revealing silence dripped into space. He raised his hand and an index finger pulled the trigger. The sound of impact broke the dumbness of space. Before Elissa's eyes, Cornelius' figure laughed as his eyes faded.
Poor Elissa, I think I'm going to make a recap about her many deaths/trasmutations..
I liked the ideas underlying Cornelius' monologue!
This was particularly intriguing. Brava Nancy!
Nope. Nope nope no don't do it, Elissa!
Thanks for your comments, friends!
you're doing it wrong, Elissa!
Ehm, I'm not sure of what I read! 😅
..sorry @themarkymark, I stole one of your gifs but I couldn't resist. I trust in your understanding.
I like the psychological tension you put in your ending, Nancy!
I stopped in to read your ending. Good luck in the contest today. 👍
Hola Nancy! The Finish the Story Contest - 17th edition is out with a 4 SBI pot!
Here it is and thanks.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@tristancarax/ler-finish-the-story-contest-week-16
One of the most original contributions, I'm glad you did it in time!
It is shocking to me that you would say this. May I have more to come in the future. More tales that don't go the "normal" route.
Well who would have though of that split-bed idea? It's quite fair to say that's original 😉 Looking forward for reading more.
Thank you @dirge for the awesome, and really disturbing, start of the story!
This week I'm the first to post!
Here's the birth of my sick mind:
https://steemit.com/contest/@marcoriccardi/ler-the-visitor-fiction-story
It was a fun script right Marco? Well done for being the first.. shoot it out like a shotgun hit on a zombie head.
I don’t think I’d like that new world, but you did a great job describing how it began. I want to read more!
I wanted to include Ellisa's training as being something that happened to her automatically, but I couldn't find the way in which I wanted to do it.
Some psycho-killer shit … This is the stuff that I have been writing since my time back onto steemit. And, the podcast The Last Podcast on the Left is something that I've been listening to for over a year now. They do tons of creep shit like this. I can't wait to see what come out of me this time.
p.s. it will only be written and not acted on. (insert evil laugh!)
Last Podcast on the Left is great! I recently listened to the Hudson Valley Sightings episode (I'm a bit behind).
I still have yet to get into the first hundred episodes or so myself. The alien ones are not my favorite shows; however, I’ve still enjoyed learning a little about it. - Yes! There are other life forms in this expansive universe but humans make such a big deal out of it and create a bunch of b.s.
They don't always do the best research, and Henry is often off his fucking mind with the stupid lizard men shit (which, I know, he is satirizing), but the podcast is fun. I listen to on my commute.
Cool shit indeed, they've strong graphics/brand .. I should take example for the contest as we usually go in Twilight-zone/horror mood with the scripts.
I agree. Like the sound of podcasts. Will have to take a listen. Here's my entry for this week:
https://steemit.com/poetsunited/@cyemela/finish-the-fiction-story-contest-week-16
I like that you threw in some magical person to Help out Ellisa.
I thought the same, I need to organise some podcasts when I drive.. it's a waste to listen radio bs.. welcome to week 16 super Cyrus ✌️
Yeah. Best time to listen to audiobooks is in the car. For some reason it makes it easier for me to picture what's going on.
Yee yee, me bud @dirge is in this entry! Woot, this is going to be a fun one to write.
It's going to be a wild ride!
Been on many roller coasters before, Ed boy. I know this one is going to be a fun one!
Great prompt. The last few line opens up some interesting possibilities
One of the best prompts imo.. the last sentence is like a match thrown into the fuel of your creativity.
Thank you F3nix!! No attitudes, just demented fun and fantastic stories! :) Thank you for the script Dirge!
I love this association! Just think about all the material that we already produced... first or after we need to stop a moment and organize it in a book of short stories.
The power of the banana fish flows through me! I fell into a dark dream.... when I awoke this story lay before me https://steemit.com/writing/@flyyingkiwi/ler-finish-the-story-contest-entry
You wrote under bananafish psychic transmission.. what an honor 0_o