prisca: (general - terrible life)
[personal profile] prisca
Title: Always remember
Characters: Erin Kaufman, Michelle
Prompt: beauty of life
Words: 368

:::

Erin entered the storage room in the back of the Mountain and stopped, surprised. „Woah,“ she murmured. „You turned this room into a museum.“

Michelle placed some old books on a shelf and turned around, smiling. „It's nothing big, but I do my best. The world needs places like this to remember the beauty of old life.“

Erin looked around, taking in the painting on the grey walls, the table with glass figurines, and the shelves full of books and various trophies. A colorful bunch of flowers in a small porcelain vase. Memories of long-gone times.

An old, tarnished mirror with a golden frame. A desk with a fitting chair, in a surprisingly good state. Erin wondered where Michelle might have found these; most wooden furniture was long gone, having either burned in a fire or been used as building material. When the world around you broke down, it was only about surviving.

Erin stepped closer to the wall to have a look at some photos and framed magazine covers. Her heart stopped beating, and her fingers trembled when she carefully touched one of them. Tears were burning in her eyes. Memories flashed through her mind; memories she thought she had long forgotten.

Michelle watched her in silence until the young woman finally stepped away from the photos. „Kurdy found a box with old magazines in the attic of an abandoned library, “ she said. „Sadly, only some covers were still in a good state. Do you remember this one?“

Erin nodded slowly, wiping her tears away. „Tiger Beat's TeenView, with a poster of Shaun Cassidy. My sister was a big fan of Shaun, and she spent all her pocket money to buy the magazine. But we fought this day, and I tore the poster of him into small pieces. At the end, we both got house arrest over the weekend.“ She smiled sadly. „Innocent teenager problems. And we had no idea that our world would break down only some months later.“

Michelle put her hand on Erin's arm. „Never forget this,“ she said gently. „Memories can hurt, but they are all that is left from the old times. It's important for the future to keep them alive.“
prisca: (jeremiah - Mr.Smith)
[personal profile] prisca
Title: The Sound of Silence
Characters: Mr. Smith
Prompt: sound of silence
Words: 147

:::

Frowning, Smith opened his eyes. Not a nightmare had woken him from sleep today, but something was different. The rain had finally stopped, and a fresh smell of grass and wet soil filled the air. The sun just started to rise from behind the clouds, promising a beautiful day.

Smith sat up. It was not that. He listened hard. Nothing! Silence!

Since he woke up on the shore of the lake months ago, the booming voice had been in his head. He had tried to ignore it at first, but no one could escape God's voice. It was omnipresent, every hour, every minute. Every day and every night.

And now – silence. Smith relaxed and smiled. He wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad omen. But for the moment, he didn't care. He would enjoy the sound of silence as long as it lasted.
prisca: (faculty - the boys violet)
[personal profile] prisca
Title: The Red Car
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor
Prompt: Yahtzee - picture of a parking lot
Words: 291

:::

Zeke stopped beside his friend, smirking slightly. „I don't get it, what's so interesting about this photo? You have been standing here for already half an hour already, and even I don't know anything about art, for sure, this is not the Mona Lisa.“

"For sure not!" Casey laughed. „The Mona Lisa is a painting from the 16th century; this is modern photography. Both are mindblowing in their own way; you can't compare them.“

„Hm. But all I see here are cars. And even more cars. And... well, cars. Black and white and grey cars in a large parking lot. “

„Look again!“

Zeke shrugged. „C'mon, spit it! What do I overlook?“

„The red car. Almost hidden between all the others. Most people won't take any notice of it, like you don't. But it's still there, defending its place among all the black and white and grey. “ Casey pointed at the small badge below the photo. Waiting for the right moment, was written there. 1969, by Peter Williams. Columbus, Ohio. „We will have to go to the library later, check him out. I had never heard of him before, but this photo is a masterful composition. One could stand here for hours, waiting for the right moment, and I am sure, at the end, the red car will finally come to life and get all the attention it deserves.“

„Hm!“ Zeke scratched the back of his head. „I'm afraid I will never understand photo geeks like you. Sorry!“

Casey grinned. „That's okay. I love you anyway.“ He placed a fleeting kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. „Thank you for visiting this photo exhibition with me today. Next week, we will go on a long road trip. Promised!“
prisca: (faculty - Casey save the world)
[personal profile] prisca
Title: Trapped in a Labyrinth of Infinity
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor, mention of Deliah Profitt
Prompt: Yahtzee - picture of a girl in a labyrinth
Words: 566

:::

„Hey, geek boy,“

Casey barely looked up. “Hi!“

Zeke frowned, alarmed. „Okay, what's wrong?“

„I am fine!“

„No, you are not, don't try to fool me. What is it? A nightmare again?“

"Not exactly a nightmare." A deep sigh. „Do you think we can go visit Delilah today?“

Zeke kept quiet. Not how he had pictured spending the day. Visiting Delilah at the hospital would bring back lots of memories he preferred not to think about. Thoughtfully, he eyed his friend. He was pale; for sure, he hadn't slept well during the last nights. „Will you ever stop tormenting yourself?“ he asked. „It is not your fault what happened to her. It's actually no one's fault. No one was prepared for an alien queen, trying to take over the world.“

Casey shrugged. „If I hadn't hesitated... maybe I would have been at the swimming pool in time to save her, too.“

„If you had been there in time, you would be locked up at the hospital's lab with Delilah now.“ Zeke shuddered visibly; he preferred not to picture this. No one should be forced to exist like that; not dead, but neither alive. A kind of a zombie; Delilah was able to breathe, to move awkwardly. The sounds she made were not human; her eyes, hidden behind thick sunglasses because she couldn't bear daylight any longer, were dark and empty. She had nothing in common anymore with the pretty, smart cheerleader bitch she had been once. And no one, no doctor, no professor, no expert in the whole world had been able to help her so far.

To be honest, Zeke had never been a big fan of her, but even he felt miserable when thinking about her now. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't survived that night. Better for her, better for the world. Better for Casey. Yes, he would mourn about her, but finally, he would be able to look forward again.

Now? The thought of Delilah tormented him every day anew. Although they had never been close friends, he had worked with her on the school's magazine, and she had respected him for his photography skills. Probably, Casey had saved the world when he finally, when everything seemed lost, stepped up against the alien queen. Everyone survived unharmed; even the infected people returned to their normal selves within a few days. Everyone but Delilah. Probably, she would continue to exist like a living dead until one day she would find salvation. And while everyone else called Casey a hero, he would never stop blaming himself for betraying her.

„It feels as if this is the place where I should be right now. She needs me!“ Casey looked at Zeke with his blue eyes wide open. „I know, you don't believe in this, but she calls for me in my dreams. She is still there, Zeke, and I need to reach out to her, to help her!“

:::

An endless, small way. High walls on both sides, built out of countless steel plates.

A young woman; brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. Wearing a transparent, long dress. Her hands running over the cold, steely plates.

There was no escape from this labyrinth. She would wander around here forever. No past, no future. No memories.

Casey! Suddenly, a whisper in her mind. It got loud and louder. Casey! Casey!! Ca...sey!!!
prisca: (faculty - Zeke hat)
[personal profile] prisca
Title: Growing up
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor, mention of Deliah Profitt
Prompt: Yahtzee - picture with balloons
Words: 418

:::

„So, where are we going first?“ With a wide grin, Casey closed the door of the GTO. „The second-hand bookshop, the photostudio, or the thrift store?“

„Maybe later. First, we need to buy some party supplies.“

Casey blinked, confused. „You are going to have a party?“

„Not exactly a party.“ Zeke shrugged. „But I think it can't hurt to buy some colorful balloons and a welcome banner. That's what friends do when someone is having a baby, right?“

„Oh!“ For a moment, Casey didn't know what to say. „Delilah?

„Well, I guess she can need a little cheer-up.“

„It's not easy for her,“ Casey agreed. „After this prick vanishing in thin air overnight after getting to know about her pregnancy. But to be honest, I am surprised that you care so much about her lately. It is not that you and Del were ever pretty close.“

„She's quite okay, after leaving her 'I am the queen of Herrington High' behaviour behind. For a while, I was sure that she would go for adoption. But she is doing great so far. Maybe, with a bit of help, she will turn into a good mother.“

Casey chuckled. „And you want to offer this help?“

„Why not? It's not that I have much to do at the moment. You will go to college soon.“

„I am moving to Akron; that's not the end of the world.“

„I know. But I will miss it anyway; hanging around with you at the bleachers, sharing a lab table. Teamwork in my garage. Not everything at school was bad.“

„No shit! What's happened with Zeke Tyler, the famous rebel from Herrington High?“

„Shut up!“ Zeke turned around to the entrance of the mall. „So, were are we going first? The shop for gift items or the baby store? Delilah is gushing non-stop about this baby sling, her midwife has told her about; maybe we can get one for her. And a teddy. Every little girl needs a teddy.“

„A girl?“

„Michelle, that's her name. Del told me this morning. And she asked me to be her godfather.“

„Oh!“ Casey jerked to a hold. „She did what? And when did you want to tell me this news?“

Zeke rolled his eyes. „When you stop asking stupid questions,“ he said. „It's nothing big!“

Inwardly chuckling, Casey followed his friend into the mall. It was hard to believe how much Zeke had changed over the last months.

Navigation Links

Tags

July 2025

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789 101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031