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Kaufmann Halloween Special - The Story of the Man with the Gun
pwkampfykaufmann
Posts: 253 Arc User
Millennium City, Ravenswood Academy for Superpowered Individuals, 31. October 2122
Janice Monroe yawned and leaned back into the arms of her crush Jason. This really was the most boring Halloween party ever. And it had started so promising. The Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority had invited only the most popular and cool students to the party, some people had managed to smuggle in beer and booze and even some weed had been given around. But still, boring. Janice looked at her friend Melanie who played with the flame she had conjured in her hand with a tired expression and the other party-goers also tried to pass the time somehow, either drinking or making out. It all looked less than motivated though. Janice sighed. This was her big party, her big idea. Something needed to happen.
"Hey!", Janice said, "It's Halloween people! How about some ghost stories?" Jason chuckled behind her and put his arms more tightly around her, careful not to crush her with his super-strength. Melanie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ghost stories? What are we? 12?", she asked annoyed and let the flame in her hand die. Janice looked at her slightly angry. Just because she hadn't managed to get Dave this evening didn't mean she had to ruin it for everyone else. "Have you got a better idea, Mel?", Janice asked very loud. Melanie endured her friend's glare for a moment, then looked away and shrugged. "Uh-huh.", Janice said satisfied, "So, does anyone know one?", she asked cheerfully.
"Naw..."
"Nope."
"No good ones..."
"I know the one with that clowns..."
"Gimme a beer please."
"That one's BOOORING!"
"..."
"...I know one."
Every eye in the room focused on the goth-y looking girl sitting in the corner. Astrid Lestridge. Plant manipulation powers. Why she was at the party was a mystery to many people. She wasn't exactly popular with many people. Janice sighed quietly. She had only invited the girl, because Jason insisted since she once helped him in a History test about the Qularr invasion and he kinda liked her since then. Janice smiled her best fake smile at Astrid. "Oh, that's soooo great! Which one? Tell us!", she said sweetly and cuddled into Jason. Astrid got up and joined the other teenagers sitting on the ground.
"Okay... Do you know the one about the Man with the Gun?", Astrid asked. Some faces showed mild interest, but most just looked confused. "Thought so... It's most popular in Westside... Not that anyone of you would know much about Westside...", the goth girl said with a hint of bitterness nobody noticed. "Anyway...", she continued, "The Man with the Gun. There's this rumor... Well, actually it isn't a rumor, because a friend of mine who's brother used to run with the New Maniacs actually saw him. The Man with the Gun. But I'm gonna start from the beginning...
Many, many, many years ago... When there wasn't even things like AI equality or anti-gravity trains and mutants and supernaturals were still persecuted by some people, there lived a man in MC. Nobody knows his name anymore, or maybe people just refuse to remember because... well... he was a supervillain. He was a cruel, evil man who had no conscience or redeeming qualities. A true monster. And... he was human. Yep, he had no powers. At all. Well, they say this man... He hated people with powers. Nobody remembers why, but apparently he led a cult, or a sect or something and that cult was totally dedicated to killing off everyone with powers. Pretty strange, huh? Well, this man... He was active for very long in MC, trying plot after plot, scheme after scheme to achieve his goals. Killing people with powers and becoming more powerful himself. But as you can guess - after all he had no powers himself - he and his cult constantly failed, no matter how clever his latest scheme was.
And it drove him insane. Well, he was insane to begin with, but... You know what I mean. He got more and more insane and his schemes and plans became more crazy, evil and cruel with every passing month until one day he died. Some people say he finally met a superhero with powers so great he couldn't somehow outsmart him, others say he killed himself after finding out he had superpowers himself, others say he simply died of old age, his heart full of anger and grudge that he hadn't reached his goals... Anyway, with his dying breath, that man cursed the world and everyone with powers. He said that he wouldn't rest until the world was rid of these abominations which destroyed his life and drove him to death. Then the man died and history more or less forgot him. Years passed and nobody remembered that minor supervillain anymore.
But...
...then the sightings started. First just in Westside or other remote parts of the city. It was always the same. A dark, foggy night in a deserted street. There was a tall, figure standing beneath a flickering street light, cloaked in shadows, the only light coming from the cigarette it was smoking. Just standing there. Not moving a muscle. Just watching. People didn't think much of it, because the sightings were rare and many just thought it was a homeless person. Then the first killings happened. Just people with powers, mind you. Mutants, supernaturals, mages... And what was strange, every single one just had one single wound. A bullethole right here: In the forehead. Even people with super-toughness or people who could get incorporeal. A bullethole in the forehead.
Well... That's the backstory... Now the real is story is like this: If you have powers and walk alone through the more deserted streets of MC during a dark and foggy night, you may encounter the Man with the Gun. Like I said, he stands there, under a flickering street light, smoking a cigarette. If you turn around and walk another way, he'll appear again beneath a street light on your way. You HAVE to walk past him. At first he'll be cloaked in shadows, but the closer you come to him, the more you'll be able to see. They say he appears as a tall, pale man in his late 30s with long, stringy black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing an expensive but dirty business suit and a long dark coat. He also has large aviator sunglasses, which cover his whole eyes. He wears them in the middle of the night, no matter how dark it is. He just stands there, smoking and waiting for you. When you walk directly past him, don't look at him, not one second, not one little glance. If you do that, you're fine. If you just look at him for a split-second, he'll suddenly stand before you and look you up and down with that creepy aviator sunglasses. "So you have superpowers...", he'll say and reach up and pull the sunglasses down to look at you better, "I see..."
And then YOU'LL see it. He has no eyes. Where his eyes should be are just two empty, bloody holes like someone ripped them right out of his skull. You'll probably be totally horrified at that point and scream your lungs out. But no matter what you do or say or shout, he'll reach into his coat and pull a freakishly huge revolver out, you know one of those things they had before laser pistols... And then he'll aim it at your forehead, faster than even the fastest speedster can react. And then he'll fire it at you. Don't try running away. The bullet will chase you, no matter where you go or hide and the bullet will find you. And then, that's the strange part, the bullet will also have the properties of your secret weakness... Like if you are a werewolf it will be a silver bullet, if you have radiation power it will be a lead bullet... or if you have no weakness the bullet will just be ridiculously strong. Point is: It will always kill you, like the Man with the Gun knows your secret weakness and uses it against you. And you'll lay there, dead, with only one single bullethole in your forehead."
As Astrid finished her tale, the room had gone very quiet. Someone cleared his throat. Janice shivered, but didn't know why. "...is there... like... a way to defend yourself against him?", Melanie asked with a trembling voice. Astrid shrugged: "Nobody knows for sure, as most people who have allegedly seen him are dead, but there is a rumor... If he has revealed his mangled eyes to you, stay calm and say the following name three times: 'Devana Hawke, Devana Hawke, Devana Hawke.' Apparently this causes him to scream in rage and just disappear." Silence again. "Devana Hawke... What does that mean?", Jason asked carefully. Astrid shrugged again: "Don't know. I've told you everything I know. That's the story of the Man with the Gun. Believe what you want."
((Comments appreciated. Happy Halloween! :biggrin:))
Janice Monroe yawned and leaned back into the arms of her crush Jason. This really was the most boring Halloween party ever. And it had started so promising. The Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority had invited only the most popular and cool students to the party, some people had managed to smuggle in beer and booze and even some weed had been given around. But still, boring. Janice looked at her friend Melanie who played with the flame she had conjured in her hand with a tired expression and the other party-goers also tried to pass the time somehow, either drinking or making out. It all looked less than motivated though. Janice sighed. This was her big party, her big idea. Something needed to happen.
"Hey!", Janice said, "It's Halloween people! How about some ghost stories?" Jason chuckled behind her and put his arms more tightly around her, careful not to crush her with his super-strength. Melanie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ghost stories? What are we? 12?", she asked annoyed and let the flame in her hand die. Janice looked at her slightly angry. Just because she hadn't managed to get Dave this evening didn't mean she had to ruin it for everyone else. "Have you got a better idea, Mel?", Janice asked very loud. Melanie endured her friend's glare for a moment, then looked away and shrugged. "Uh-huh.", Janice said satisfied, "So, does anyone know one?", she asked cheerfully.
"Naw..."
"Nope."
"No good ones..."
"I know the one with that clowns..."
"Gimme a beer please."
"That one's BOOORING!"
"..."
"...I know one."
Every eye in the room focused on the goth-y looking girl sitting in the corner. Astrid Lestridge. Plant manipulation powers. Why she was at the party was a mystery to many people. She wasn't exactly popular with many people. Janice sighed quietly. She had only invited the girl, because Jason insisted since she once helped him in a History test about the Qularr invasion and he kinda liked her since then. Janice smiled her best fake smile at Astrid. "Oh, that's soooo great! Which one? Tell us!", she said sweetly and cuddled into Jason. Astrid got up and joined the other teenagers sitting on the ground.
"Okay... Do you know the one about the Man with the Gun?", Astrid asked. Some faces showed mild interest, but most just looked confused. "Thought so... It's most popular in Westside... Not that anyone of you would know much about Westside...", the goth girl said with a hint of bitterness nobody noticed. "Anyway...", she continued, "The Man with the Gun. There's this rumor... Well, actually it isn't a rumor, because a friend of mine who's brother used to run with the New Maniacs actually saw him. The Man with the Gun. But I'm gonna start from the beginning...
Many, many, many years ago... When there wasn't even things like AI equality or anti-gravity trains and mutants and supernaturals were still persecuted by some people, there lived a man in MC. Nobody knows his name anymore, or maybe people just refuse to remember because... well... he was a supervillain. He was a cruel, evil man who had no conscience or redeeming qualities. A true monster. And... he was human. Yep, he had no powers. At all. Well, they say this man... He hated people with powers. Nobody remembers why, but apparently he led a cult, or a sect or something and that cult was totally dedicated to killing off everyone with powers. Pretty strange, huh? Well, this man... He was active for very long in MC, trying plot after plot, scheme after scheme to achieve his goals. Killing people with powers and becoming more powerful himself. But as you can guess - after all he had no powers himself - he and his cult constantly failed, no matter how clever his latest scheme was.
And it drove him insane. Well, he was insane to begin with, but... You know what I mean. He got more and more insane and his schemes and plans became more crazy, evil and cruel with every passing month until one day he died. Some people say he finally met a superhero with powers so great he couldn't somehow outsmart him, others say he killed himself after finding out he had superpowers himself, others say he simply died of old age, his heart full of anger and grudge that he hadn't reached his goals... Anyway, with his dying breath, that man cursed the world and everyone with powers. He said that he wouldn't rest until the world was rid of these abominations which destroyed his life and drove him to death. Then the man died and history more or less forgot him. Years passed and nobody remembered that minor supervillain anymore.
But...
...then the sightings started. First just in Westside or other remote parts of the city. It was always the same. A dark, foggy night in a deserted street. There was a tall, figure standing beneath a flickering street light, cloaked in shadows, the only light coming from the cigarette it was smoking. Just standing there. Not moving a muscle. Just watching. People didn't think much of it, because the sightings were rare and many just thought it was a homeless person. Then the first killings happened. Just people with powers, mind you. Mutants, supernaturals, mages... And what was strange, every single one just had one single wound. A bullethole right here: In the forehead. Even people with super-toughness or people who could get incorporeal. A bullethole in the forehead.
Well... That's the backstory... Now the real is story is like this: If you have powers and walk alone through the more deserted streets of MC during a dark and foggy night, you may encounter the Man with the Gun. Like I said, he stands there, under a flickering street light, smoking a cigarette. If you turn around and walk another way, he'll appear again beneath a street light on your way. You HAVE to walk past him. At first he'll be cloaked in shadows, but the closer you come to him, the more you'll be able to see. They say he appears as a tall, pale man in his late 30s with long, stringy black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing an expensive but dirty business suit and a long dark coat. He also has large aviator sunglasses, which cover his whole eyes. He wears them in the middle of the night, no matter how dark it is. He just stands there, smoking and waiting for you. When you walk directly past him, don't look at him, not one second, not one little glance. If you do that, you're fine. If you just look at him for a split-second, he'll suddenly stand before you and look you up and down with that creepy aviator sunglasses. "So you have superpowers...", he'll say and reach up and pull the sunglasses down to look at you better, "I see..."
And then YOU'LL see it. He has no eyes. Where his eyes should be are just two empty, bloody holes like someone ripped them right out of his skull. You'll probably be totally horrified at that point and scream your lungs out. But no matter what you do or say or shout, he'll reach into his coat and pull a freakishly huge revolver out, you know one of those things they had before laser pistols... And then he'll aim it at your forehead, faster than even the fastest speedster can react. And then he'll fire it at you. Don't try running away. The bullet will chase you, no matter where you go or hide and the bullet will find you. And then, that's the strange part, the bullet will also have the properties of your secret weakness... Like if you are a werewolf it will be a silver bullet, if you have radiation power it will be a lead bullet... or if you have no weakness the bullet will just be ridiculously strong. Point is: It will always kill you, like the Man with the Gun knows your secret weakness and uses it against you. And you'll lay there, dead, with only one single bullethole in your forehead."
As Astrid finished her tale, the room had gone very quiet. Someone cleared his throat. Janice shivered, but didn't know why. "...is there... like... a way to defend yourself against him?", Melanie asked with a trembling voice. Astrid shrugged: "Nobody knows for sure, as most people who have allegedly seen him are dead, but there is a rumor... If he has revealed his mangled eyes to you, stay calm and say the following name three times: 'Devana Hawke, Devana Hawke, Devana Hawke.' Apparently this causes him to scream in rage and just disappear." Silence again. "Devana Hawke... What does that mean?", Jason asked carefully. Astrid shrugged again: "Don't know. I've told you everything I know. That's the story of the Man with the Gun. Believe what you want."
((Comments appreciated. Happy Halloween! :biggrin:))
Post edited by pwkampfykaufmann on
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Comments
At this point, I'm thinking you ought to write for Cryptic.))
The Doctor on the PDB
Fahrenheit on the PDB