You Could Call it a Work of Art

 

 



Art is just a word, and what we actually see in our minds as artists, can't really be described by one word. When I asked my peers Nick (above left) and Johann (above right) if I could use this picture for a story, both of them kind of laughed and asked why I wanted to use a picture of them "cuddling". What inspired me when I saw the picture, was the fact that Johann's shadow looks like another person, like he's sitting back to back with a familiar stranger. That Nick looks like he has absolutely nothing in the world to worry about, but Johann looks troubled (thanks to the sun). I saw two best friends on a nice day, just thinking, and I was inspired. The following story is not what happened that day. It may contain true facts, but I completely made up the events that are occurring:

It's a slightly chilly day, kind of warm actually, for January. School has just been let out and a group of friends is sitting by the brick wall, waiting to start band practice. Johann is a watcher, he likes to see whats happening. He would rather sit on a park bench quietly, than sit at home eating a bag of chips, and watching a football game. He likes to draw, and he's great at it. The margins of his notebooks are filled with doodles and his class assignments are works of... whatever he sees them as. Nick is a thinker, he likes to put things together in his head. He's quiet and comfortable and he enjoys taking pictures. He can manipulate a camera to do things that make his pictures amazing and captivating. His snapshots are honest works of... whatever he believes them to be. They grew up together and know each other better than they know themselves. They're happy people, the two of them. On they're chill days they go into they're favorite teacher's room and play harmonica, getting laughs out of they're friends at the fact that they carry around harmonicas. They are, by definition, artists, but I think the word artist can seem vague; especially with what some people consider art now a days. I seem them as creative minds. I look and I see two people in a whole different world, like they're connected to the rest of us, but they refuse to acknowledge it, because it would just irritate them and they're drawings, photos, music, and.. peaceful states of mind. They're the kind of people who like to be around free thinkers, not trend followers and kiss-asses. They themselves are free thinkers. They are by definition, artists... but in my minds eye they are a splash of color in a world that wants to be grey.

Thank you to Johann Rucker, Nick Conner, and Ivan (the photographer) for letting me use this picture. I've had writers block for a while and the picture inspired me greatly. Anyone reading this should check out their band Werewolf Weekdays! They're pretty good! Thank you again boys, and thank you to anyone reading.

Aftermath: Chapter 4: (first person- girl)

I can feel Leeland's eyes on the back of my head; like an icy burn. I make the necessary twists and turns in order to get to the kitchen I spied when I dragged Leeland into the sit room earlier. "What's for dinner?" I ask him as we enter. I turn to see him in the doorway, with a pained look on his face. My heart gives a tiny squeeze. "Why hasn't your knee been fixed yet?" The question was supposed to sound stern, but it came out a little lamely... like a whisper. He had been so worried about me,  and he was injured badly. God I could be a bitch. "It's nothing," he said. I watched him struggle to a chair and decided to leave him alone. I was already becoming familiar with these surroundings and people, and it was suffocating me. "So?" I ask, "What are we eating?" He looks at me like I'm retarded an answers, "food," then bursts out laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. I look at him stumped at what to reply with, and slowly decide to just let him have his fun. He reminds me of my brother at times. I see the humor I've been aching for ever since Micheal had Changed. I see the spirit, the personality, the pure joy of being alive. In that small moment I realized there was no way I could turn back now. I finally had the chance to settle down in one place, instead of traveling everyday avoiding my brother and the other foul creatures of this ruin. I finally had a second chance, but would it be worth at the end of all this? "Hey!" I jumped as Leeland raised his voice. I hadn't realized that he had been calling me. "You know what?" he said thoughtfully, "you need some sort of code name..." I laughed at the idea. "You want to give me a nickname?" I asked, humored. "Yeah, you won't tell me your real name so I guess I'll just have to give you one," he smiled at me in thought. "How about 'Red'?" he asked. "No," I said with a giggle, "definitely not." He laughed and I froze. His laugh was like an icy fire, in a way. I cursed myself, "I can't do this," I said it quietly, but it made his laughter fall away. " Do what? Talk?" He asked. It was just a question, but it ignited my already thinnerves. "No," I snapped, "this!" I practically shouted it as I pushed him away. He stumbled and over my rage, I noticed how surprised he looked. Had he not realized that just a moment ago he had been inches away from my face? The hurt on his face was like an icicle to the throat. My words dried up, and I averted my eyes from his. "You know what I'm going to call you?" I didn't answer him. I was to scared to hear the answer. "Ignis," I looked up at him, confused. "What?" I shouldn't have asked though. "It means 'fire' in Latin," he elaborated, "I think it's suitable, considering so far you've burned everything around you." With that he turned and limped out of the kitchen. I looked at the ground horrified and embarrassed at the truth and harshness of his words. I sat down and let my tears fall heavy. It has been so long since I let myself cry... so long...

Aftrmath: Chapter 3 (third person-both)

She sat on the couch quietly, waiting. That's all she ever seemed to be doing. Waiting for her brother to find her. Waiting for her father to come back. Waiting for someone to rely on. She looks at Leeland, waiting. His voice finally comes, "You can leave if you want. I'm pretty sure they're just going to interrogate you, and I'm sure you don't want to deal with that." She just looked at him. His eyes always caught her right before she could make a clean break. That couldn't happen, not anymore. She's drawn to him, like a moth drawn to light. He's looking at her weird, then she realizes she hadn't answered. " I have no where to go," she says it indifferently. At that moment Leeland's brother walks in with a woman whose face looks like it's permanently stuck in a scowl. She scrutinizes the woman, and the woman does it right back. They all just sit there for a moment in silence. Leeland senses the tension and breaks it, " You already know Rubin, and this," he said motioning to the angry looking woman," is Geneveire. She's head exterminator here. She was found us after her Quarters were raided and her crew was killed." She nodded at Geneveire, with new respect, this woman was a survivor just like herself. Geneveire nodded back, but only slightly. " Who is she?" Geneveire said in a clipped voice. Leeland looked at her pointedly. She ignored him and kept her voice level, " That information is for me to know, and even if I told you, you'd have no way of testing my honesty. So please leave the subject of my identity closed." Geneveire just stared, " Fine, can I at least have your age and date of birth?" "I'm seventeen ... and crazy," she quoted it quietly then picked up again, " and I was born on the eleventh of May in the year of 2117." Geneveire smiled at her. " You were only twelve when this all broke out, you know how to read, and you've survived five years of hell. I'm quite impressed." She just looked at Geneveire with a kind of distaste. "I wouldn't be impressed, I mourn the fact that I'm still here. I've done unmentionable things, and lost too many people to count. We all have, and It's nothing to be proud of, or impressed with," She finished on a near shout and stormed out the way she came.

***

"Wait!" Leeland called after her. She slowed but didn't stop or turn. She disappeared around a corner, and Leeland got up to chase her down. His knee burned and he grunted in pain. Rubin shoved him down, " I'll get her just stay off of that leg." Before Leeland could retort Rubin had turned on his heel and raced after her. Geneveire tsked quietly and Leeland shot her a glare. " You could have been a bit more considerate, considering you're supposed to be a great leader and all," he snapped. "Shut up, Leeland, she'll be back. She's just blowing off steam. I'm sure Rubin will find her, and we can place her in a bunk for the night," Geneveire talked as if this girl was just some rag they could toss around as they pleased. He snorted at Geneveire as she walked away. He was pissed that he'd hurt his leg. It was just another thing for his brother to bother him about. Just because he'd lost one of his doesn't mean Leeland was going to as well. He sighs and leans back. Just as his eyes are closing, there is a shout and a crash from the hallway behind him. He shoots up and, ignoring the pain in his leg, he rushes down the hall. He rounds the corner to find Rubin on the floor shouting at her. She looks sort of predatory as her hand whips across his face, knocking him strait out. Leeland would have laughed if the situation hadn't been what it was. She kicked Rubin's peg and kept walking, not even aware of Leeland's presence. Leeland gaped after her, and followed her. " Hey, wait!!" he shouted after her. She stopped at the door and slowly turned around to face him. "What," she practically growls at him. She is a raging fire, and Leeland is scared to get near her for fear of burning in her wrath. "Stay, I'll tell them all to leave you alone until the morning, then you can leave. It's dark out and you look like you could use a good meal." She sighs and gives him a weary look. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asks in a whisper. He reaches his hand out without answering. She looks at it, nods, and walks past him towards the sit room. He shakes his head in awe and follows her in silence.

Aftermath: Chapter 2 (first person-Leeland)

Her laughter rings around me like an echo of warming flames. It makes me think that she hasn't had a reason to laugh in a really long time. Who would? I look at her with awe as she clutches her stomach while she tries to quiet her continuous giggles. I can't help it, but I start to laugh too. The sight of her is hilarious. I'm on my back, and she's face down next to me, she's also on my arm. I'm laughing because of her, but I think she's laughing just to laugh. Her face is like a fire on a cold night. I feel like I need her even tough I don't really know her. Her eyes are golden brown, and shes tall and thin, but I can see her thin, capable muscles. She's tanned from her travels, and her smile stretches from ear to ear framed by her full lips. My thoughts are cut short when I hear footsteps coming from the door on my other side. I put my hand over her mouth. Her giggles soften, then she sobers all together when she hears them too. She nods silently and gets up to help me to my feet. I grimace as my head throbs and my knee ignites. She frowns and pulls most of my weight onto my other leg and her. The footsteps grow louder and I feel my stomach somewhere around my ankles. Those footsteps are unmistakable. Step clack Step clack Step clack... My mind is going a million miles a minute. Why of all people, would they send my brother. Why me, I swear they hate me and I silently curse them as keys jingle and locks slide. The small window on the door opens and I see a pair of wary hazel eyes that confirm my theory. "Name," he says in a monotone voice. "God damn it, Rubin, open the door," I snap. He rolls his eyes and looks at the girl. "Who's that?" he asks suspiciously, " A friend, now open the door." I bark it at him, he's making my low tolerance for his stupidity even thinner. He grunts and closes the window. We hear more clanks and jingles, then the door creaks open on its rusty hinges. She looks up at me, I notice the hard look in her eyes and nod. She clears her throat and helps me through the door, which closes with a loud clang behind us. " Tell her how to get to the sit room while I lock up," his irritating voice makes my skull pound even worse, but I nod and motion for her to keep walking forward. She nods and goes on. "Just keep forward and you'll see two different hallways, keep left," I say it tightly and she seems to notice somethings wrong. "You don't like that man back there do you?" She asks curiously. I grunt, " who is he?" she continues. "My brother," I mumble, "You're right I don't like him. He thinks he's my father, and he couldn't be anything near that to me." She makes the left and smiles, " I used to have a brother," her gaze seems far away, " actually I still do, it's just he's been bitten." I look at her and will her to continue, considering this is the first real bit of information on her past she has given me. " His name is Micheal. He used to be everything I looked up to until he started getting high on the bites. It was just me and him, and finally two months ago, he gave in and took the change. He's still looking for me I know it, but I'd rather not see him. If I do I'll have to kill him." She finishes her story with a bitter tone, and I look down to see tears in her eyes. She blinks them away and keeps on moving until we reach the sit room. She gets me settled then she takes a seat, and we wait in silence.

"Here"

You can't just look, not Here. Times are tough, especially Here. You have to go out and explore the unknown Here. The apocalypse has gone and past, and now, we're Here. Where is Here? I don't know, but often I find myself wishing we were There; before it all died. I recall seeing a picture of There once when I was a little girl, well actually I've seen many pictures, but this one stood out to me. There had paved walkways, and large structures instead of hut like shelters. The picture was when There was still young, and vibrant. The sun was setting. This sun, being significantly smaller than ours, casting a calming glow that let you understand the time lost when it would actually leave. There had a street (at least I think that's what it was) that was bare, except for the small insect looking vehicle, stilled off to it's side.The picture showed trees, though not nearly as many as we have Here. The picture of There makes me wonder why we ever came Here. Then I remember that it's all gone, without a trace. Nothing we do will ever be able to recreate that image, or the intent of the person taking it. It's all gone, and now we're stuck Here.

**This picture was used in my English class. We were told to write a story including the picture, and this is what I wrote. I thank my teacher, Mr.Christensen, for using it in class, and I thank Nick Conner for taking the picture and allowing me to put it on my blog :)

Aftermath: Chapter 1 (first person-girl)

I breath in the scent of him as we walk. Well as he limps and I carry. He smells of sweat and sun, but there is this smell of something I can't put my finger on. It's a pure smell, like ice cooling you on a hot day. It burns my nostrils as the ice would burn the skin, but I can't get enough of it. He's panting with pain, and I can see the blood seeping into his pants from the apparently open wound on his knee. The gash on his forehead has stopped gushing, but is now trickling quietly down his scrunched up face. He's gorgeous. For one of them anyways. You can tell he's a hunter by the way he walks. It's predatory, and it draws you in; along with his perfectly shaped face, full lips and icy eyes that could freeze you in your tracks then melt you with their beauty. "Left on this next road," he says drowsily I nod and take more of his weight. He's heavy for being thin. I can tell it's from the muscle, but still, this kid is killin' me. "My name is Leeland by the way," He mentions as we make the turn, "and what did you say yours was?" I slow, but don't stop as his statement throws me off guard. "I didn't," I say steadily. "Fiery," he says with humored tone, laced thick with pain. "Me likey," he finishes with a wink. I swallow hard and feel my cheeks grow hot. I hope he thinks it's because of the heat. I just hope I can drop him off where he needs to go, so I won't get involved. Deep in my mind I know that is definitely not going to be the case, but I shrug that thought off mentally, and keep trudging. "Keep going you'll see an old restaurant sign, I think it says Denny's but I'm not sure." He sounds droopy so I quickly think of something to keep him talking. "So where are you from?" I burped out, "Where was I from," he stated, "there's nothing there anymore, but it used to be called Chicago, Illinois; that's what the map at Quarters says anyways." I smile and nod, " yeah, I've heard of it, I think I've traveled there once. A very long time ago..." I trail off at a tugging memory, but Leeland cuts through my buttery thoughts, "What about you? Or will you keep that a secret too?" He teases, then chuckles as  I tense up under him, "I was kidding, well kinda, I still would like to know where you're from at least." I hear the smile in his words. I sigh, " I'm from a place they used to call Canada. Toronto to be specific." He grunts as if he is thinking hard, " I don't think I've seen that on the map," he frowns, "I'll have to take a closer look when we get there." I grunt, and ask, " what now?" He snaps back into focus and says, "we're almost there. You're going to see an alleyway door, kick it in and walk forward until you see another metal door and just wait." "Okay, I'm on it," I huff. We make it to the door which I manage to kick in after three tries, and walk for a bit until we see the second door. I can't take it anymore. I try to gently move him to sit on the floor, but my knees give out, and we take a tumble. I'm on top of his arm face down, and he is somehow facing the deteriorating ceiling. I look over at him and burst into laughter. I laugh so hard tears spring to my eyes, my stomach starts to hurt and I can't breath. I haven't laughed like this since I was a little girl. It feels good, so good...

Aftermath: Prolouge (third person- both)

He heard his knee crack against the ground before he felt the sharp shooting pain work its way to the injury. Leeland Donvers ground his teeth and pushed himself forward against the glowering pain in his leg. He couldn't get caught the Leds at Quarters would kill him in an instant. Leeland reached for the partially open pouch in his backpack as he ran, and silently cursed himself as he remembered the sinking creature had practically inhaled his gun. Over the sound of his heavy breathing he noticed the monstrosity's smell still reached him even though it was several yards behind him. The pain was starting to slow him down, which meant he had to find shelter, fast. His pursuer roared as it neared him, so he ducked into the nearest deteriorating building. He guessed it used to be one of those fancy apartment buildings, before the Uprising. He paused and groaned as he realized he'd have to climb stairs. He didn't realize how much this small stop had drawn him back in the chase, until the thing was trying to fit through the space he'd just entered through. He gave out a yelp and started for the stairs, taking them two at a time, despite his fiery injury he made it up two stories before the demon made it through the entrance. He paused to look out the shattered window on the second story and caught a flash of what looked like a flame, but it must have been a sunspot, because it was gone in a blink. A blink that brought him back to reality, along with the crash of the creature a story below him. Slower now, he started up the stairs again. He stopped at the fourth floor, and barreled down the hallway. The stench reached him as It reached the floor he was on. His panic was practically visible as he busted the door to one of the apartments. As he was running towards the window so he could jump, his leg decided to give out on him. He fell forward, his head cracking against the floor before he could get his hands around to catch his fall. The thing crashed through the door and its odor filled haze spread through the room, which swam before Leeland's eyes. The demon neared him, and the last he saw was a small flash of fire at the caved in door, before everything went black.
                                                                       ***********
She breathed out a tiny breath. It was all she could allow herself. The demons was foul and poisonous, "Jesus help me," she whispered before she unsheathed her dagger. The demon shrieked with contempt and started at her. "Son of a ...," she mumbled as she dodged the foul creature's stinger. she could barely make out the shape of the young boy she had followed in here. The creature spit venom at her, as she tried to fit her slim figure through the small space the thing had created as it arched its tail. She cried out as the venom greeted her shoulder and dissolved her clothing, singeing her skin. It spat again as she dove through the space. The disgusting thing tried to turn towards her, knocking out walls in the process. She ducked as its tail swung around, and darted to the boy's body, realizing with a shock that he wasn't nearly as young as she had thought. He looked like he was in his teens, about her age. He had a soft looking face, with a shock of white blond hair. It reminded her of dry ice. He had a head wound that was steadily trickling blood. She wanted to look more,but didn't have time because the monster was soon on them. Not being nearly strong enough to lift the boy, she turned to fight. The demon's shape towered above her, its head bumping the roof. She held the blade between her teeth as she leaped onto it and started to climb. The thing had many spikes and craters that she eagerly used as foot holes. The creature reared back, trying to slam her into a wall that it already knocked down. She quickly made it to the things head and plunged her dagger into its third eye. Holding on for dear life, she waited until the creature was nearing the ground before she jumped on top of the boy, rolling him over before the demon could land on him. She shielded his body as much as she could with her own, as the demon's body started to deteriorate. She waited until it was completely gone, before she sat up and pulled off her shirt. She pressed the material to his forehead, and slapped him hard on the cheek. "Come on, come on. Wake up!" The boy's eyelids fluttered as he started to regain consciousness. His eyes were as blue as the arctic ocean, and she had to take a deep breath to cover up an awed sigh. "We have to get out of here!" She exclaimed. That seemed to wake him up completely. He sat up and she had to steady him and help him stand. she was only about an inch shorter than him, so that made it easier to help him to walk. They stumbled down the stairs together, and by his direction, headed to Quarters.
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Hey those of you who take your time to read this, please tell me what you think about the stories.
I want to add to this story, so tell me if you like it, pretty please.
I'm really hoping one day to be a successful author, and any input would definitely help! :))
             THANK YOU