The Burning Times ((Vivid and Dark_Times))

[Vivid Fizz]

There was a chill to the night air and smoke rose to greet people as they passed by one of the many small fires on the street. The moon hung in the sky but through the cloud of pollution and the lights from the city below no one who looked up could see it. Police men with their laser guns and shiny metal armor roamed the streets and those who even looked at them strangely were cuffed or beaten.

The stench of rot filled the blocks of the lower half of the city. That is where the dregs of the town lived. That is where those without hope stayed. It was a place for those in hiding. Those who were deemed “Witches”.

Moira never understood why a witch would be hunted down and treated in such a manner. She was born after the war between the Witches and technology. The world had been that way for as long as she could remember she lived outside of the city in a small cabin with her grandmother. No one bothered them but as time drove on and technology overcame nature, the natural resources around their home diminished.

It was the reason that the young woman was in the city that night. The two of them were running out of food and her grandmother had become sick. Very sick. Moira’s medicinal skills were limited so she had decided, despite her grandmother’s warnings, to venture out.

Against the grime of the city she felt out of place. Her clothes were twenty years out of date; having belonged to her grandmother before the wars had started, and not made from the sleek plastics, nylon, and other material used in modern fashion. Strange looks followed her as she walked. In her hands was an old map that was not providing her any help. Oh, if she could only get into the mind of one of these people…

But her grandmother strictly forbade use of any magic unless the circumstances were dire. There were men, apparently, that hunted people like her. Witchcraft was outlawed and a crime punishable by death. Many people were afraid of magic because they could not do it themselves and did not understand it. Those in charge deemed it evil and a threat to their order.

Moira had only heard of spell work being used to help, even though they did have abilities to cause great damage. So did normal humans. It was obvious that was the case by looking at the current state of things. She bit her lip as she passed a group of derelicts. This place made her sad.

“Hey there, pretty lady, what is someone like you in this part of town?” someone asked. Moira turned to look at the person. He was short with matted hair that was dyed a bright blue. There were two other men with him, just as ragged and distressed looking as he.

“I’m just looking for a store,” she replied back. It never occurred to her that those men would cause her harm and they had approached her. Perhaps she could ask for help from them. They knew the city much better than she did. “But I don’t understand this map that Grandma gave me and I need a little assistance…”

Without any warning the blue haired man pulled the piece of paper out of her hand and, without looking at it, tossed it over his shoulder. Moira did not understand what was happening. Why would he do such a thing? “You ain’t going to need that, sweetheart. Now why don’t you come with us. I am sure we could show you something a lot more interesting.”

“Oh no, I just want to get to the store to get some food and then go home to my grandmother. She is very ill an-”

One of the others grabbed her wrist. She gasped and tried to pull away. Other people on the street simply passed by as if nothing were happening. Everyone was used to this sort of behavior except for Moira. She cried out as he started to drag her back in to the alleyway with the other two laughing behind them.

Moira did not have time to think as she was shoved against a wall. She needed to get away from this! Words formed on her lips which caused the men to reel back. Before they could utter a word though, they were on the ground, completely passed out.

She pushed herself from the wall and started to run. They would wake soon and who knows what attention she would get now. Her honey colored curls bounced behind her as she dashed through the streets. Gods, she hoped that no hunters were around!

 

[Dark_Times]

Jack had been standing just outside a bar talking with some of the other hunters, smoking as usual, had to have something to ease the boredom. The area had been strangely silent lately, by that he meant that he had not been called out to deal with anything, maybe they finally gave up, he knew it couldnt be true but hey, a man can dream.

He tossed the butt on the ground and crushed it out, "Right, lets go have a look around, gotta get the routes checked or the boss'll have are asses again", there was a chorus of laughter as the others straightened up and ran hands over their shaved heads. He smiled slightly and pushed back his longish black hair.


His silver eyes swept over the street, he saw a young girl hurrying away from an alley, that was normal around here, he could not say he liked the type of people in this part of the city, but he had to ignore it, not his area, that was the police forces area. Though it was them who made this city what it was now, someday I'll show them how to act, he chuckled at the thought before moving off, "Right, alleys first, then the main streets".

They walked slowly towards the alley the girl had come from, they men had probably let her go, oddly enough that happened from time to time. Then he saw it, an unconscious body, sprawled on the ground, as he sped up two more came into view. "Call this in, I'll go question the girl, don't leave until you get a team out to check this over, and question them when they come to". He jogged off after the girl, he'd catch up to her shortly.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Moira couldn’t keep the run up for long. Like most witches, she was lithe only from the energy it took to cast the spells. Never before had she had training in running or anything of the like. Soon she was pressed up against one of the grimy walls, breathing harshly. This was not looking good. She looked behind her shoulder as she sucked in air.

Those huddled around fires looked at her as if she had a tumor growing out of her head. Her clothes were much different than theirs. She must have stood out like a sore thumb in this dirty and grimy world. She whimpered and looked around her. The streets were completely alien to her. She pushed herself off of the wall and tried to find a street sign. The one she found was not even written on the map.

In which direction did she run? She turned around again. This was not going to end well for her. There wasn’t very many she could ask for help. Those disgusting men had proven that. Not to mention she had no clue that a witch hunter was on her trail. The beautiful young woman had no clue how long she would last in that city by herself.

Even though my grandmother forbade it, I may have to use more of my magic.

She really didn’t want to do it. Since she had been little she had heard the atrocities committed against her kind by hunters and bigoted persons. It was dangerous to be born with such abilities. But what was she going to do?

 

[Dark_Times]

Jack slowed to a walk as she came into view, he moved calmly and surely towards he, his rifle held at a downward angle, ready to be raised. "Hold still there little lady, I need to ask you a few questions about something, don't worry your not in trouble", he was walking towards her from behind, recognising her clothing above all else.


He glanced around at the by-standers, "Clear off the lot of you, this isn't some kind of show", he took his work seriously and did not like to have people stare, after all, he did this for other reasons. His parents had fallen victim to magic, and he swore to avenge them.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Moira froze. Her eyes were locked on the rifle and her mouth dried. Was this man a hunter or was it another man that wanted her to do something for him? Her lips trembled as thoughts crossed her mind. They all frightened her and the hair on the back of her arm stood on end. If she needed to she would push this man away with her magic, too. She prayed it didn’t come to that. No matter how powerful she was, that gun could take her down with one place shot.

At his words the people scattered, even leaving some possessions behind. Apparently whatever type of man he was, no one wanted to mess with him. She swallowed harshly as it was just the two of them. Her bright green eyes pleaded silently with him.

“It sure looks like that I am in trouble,” she replied. Her voice was barely over a squeak and her breath quickened. “What do you want from me? I don’t understand this.”

 

[Dark_Times]

"Just saw you leave an area in which we just found three unconscious men, without any marks on them", he sighed, he pretty much knew where this would go, "Was wondering if you'd noticed anyone there before you left, or if you can explain how they came to end up in that state?". He loosened his grip on his gun, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.


The ear-piece he wore came to life, "Sir, we have evidence that magic was used here, and one of the men is starting to come around, we'll know who did this shortly", he grunted and spoke calmly, "Understood, I will contact you, for now, radio's stay silent".

 

[Vivid Fizz]

This was looking worse for her by the second. Her face twisted and her power was starting to get the better of her. She needed to calm down. If she didn’t she was going to reveal herself much sooner than what she needed to. She took in a few stabilizing breaths and gave him a panicked look.

“Those men had dragged me into the alley,” she whispered. “They tried to force themselves on me and then they just passed out. I mean, I just thought it was drugs or something.”

She licked her dry lips and looked behind her. There had to be an avenue of escape for her. Something was going to happen. There was danger in the air. She really was in trouble. She could feel it. She whimpered as her powers started to get the better of her, making her hair fan out.

 

[Dark_Times]

He listened carefully to her story, knowing that either she could be totally innocent or doomed today, "Do not kill her Jack, bring her in, I want to speak with her", he sighed, "Yes sir". Something was clearly wrong here, this girl was not responsible for that incident. Then it happened, her hair began to fan out and then out of instinct he raised his gun, "Stop what you are doing right now!", he hit the transmit button, "I need backup! Right now!".

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Moira didn’t mean to use her magic! Sometimes it poured from her like a waterfall and even she was unable to stop its flow. For someone so young she had an immense amount of power. Yet she had a lack of control that was frightening. It was obvious that she was trying to stop it. She place a hand on her pendant and swallowed harshly. The rifle had added more to the fear that was fueling her magic.

“Don’t use your power,” she whispered to herself as a mantra. “Don’t use your power. You don’t want to be killed.”

As she internalized her emotions, the magic twisted her insides. A groan escaped her lips and she fell to her knees. Blood tricked out her nose. It was nothing bad. It happened when she did this. Her hair stopped flaring and she looked up at him.

“P-please don’t kill me. All I wanted was to get some medicine for my grandmother. I didn’t want to hurt anybody.” She cried and hung her head. Who was going to help her nanna now? Also she didn’t want to be killed.

 

[Dark_Times]

He remembered the words of his commander and pushed the button on his communicator, "Cancel that request, subject terminated, repeat subject terminated", he turned it off completely. "Get on your feet, I have been ordered to bring you in to my boss", he chuckled, pity though, she was a pretty girl, hate to see her when the boss was finished with her. He lowered the rifle, "Come on now, up you get", he took her under the arm and pulled her up.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Subject terminated? Fear rested in her stomach like a lead ball. But she did what he asked! She even internalized it and gave herself a nosebleed. When he turned his attention back to her and away from the earpiece he was wearing, she flinched. He must have really hated witches if he planned to kill her right there and then.

However when he told her to get on her feet, that she had been ordered to be taken to the boss instead, her heart skipped a beat. A sigh of relief came from her. Perhaps she could explain that she was only in the city to get some medicine for her ill grandmother and that she only used her magic to keep herself from being raped.

Moira winced as she was pulled up. He didn’t even give her time to get up on her own. Her head swam from the sudden rush to it. The beautiful young woman knew that pulling her arm away might anger this hunter and she did not want to give him any reason to hurt her.

Though she knew that she shouldn’t question it, she just had to. “I don’t understand. Why would he want to see me?”

 

[Dark_Times]

At first he simply grunted and continued towing her along, he was pulling to towards a large car, a cage grate separating the back from the front. He pulled open the back door and almost gently pushed her inside. He then listened intently to something coming from his earpiece, which he had turned off, someone had the power to activate it remotely.

He climbed into the front of the car, it tilted slightly from the weight of his gear. "Before I pull away, let us make one thing clear, if you try to escape, I'll kill you, if you offend me, I'll kill you, you may talk, but not constantly, because that annoys me, and then guess what, I'll kill you, I can just tell the boss you attacked me."

He started the car and pulled away, "Oh, and yes my cruelty is just, your kind killed my parents", his voice was filled with disgust as he uttered the sentence. He remained in silence as he drove, as if waiting for her to speak, clearly their destination was outside the city.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Moira sat in the back cowering. Her body was atremble. The first trip she had into the city and THIS happens. As he got in to the car it weighed down on his side. He issued his warning and she paled. Everything she could possibly do would kill her. The beautiful young woman, however, could not help but take offense at his last sentence.

Her kind? Her brow furrowed and she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. How ignorant was it to group people together like that! Moira wasn’t the one who killed his parents. A scowl flitted on to her features. “Well,” she said in a clipped tone. “My parents were killed by your kind. I don’t think just because a certain witch gave you hardship doesn’t mean you should be ‘justly’ angry at me.”

She bit her knuckle. The sweet and innocent girl had an attitude streak in here. The car drove on and she wondered if she got herself killed. But he did say that she could speak a little bit. He didn’t specify what her words could and could not be.

“I’ll just keep my mouth shut,” she muttered and she stared out of the window. As they made their way to their destination the quality of the city improved. The amount of trash can fires dwindled down, the buildings had gotten a shiny metallic quality, the people who were out on the street were dressed in brighter clothes and appeared to just be heading someplace instead of living there. At least they were getting out of the bad part of town.

 

[Dark_Times]

Pulls out onto a very wide road, leading towards the largest building in the city, The Cube, the place where only the hunters entered and left safely. "Well now, who's the one one top here, technology won out, thus proving your unnatural abilities to be inferior and an abomination. He drove down a tunnel into the depths of The Cube, nobody other than the highest ranking hunters could enter here.


He smiled to himself at the though of what the boss would do to the witch, but there was that strange twinge of a feeling for her. Get a hold of yourself, they'll have you killed for sympathising. He parked the car on a platform than began to drop lower and lower underground. "Now it gets fun", he chuckled and got out as the platform stopped moving.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Unnatural? People were born with these powers. How was that unnatural? What was unnatural were all of these buildings. What was unnatural were the toxins that got pumped into the air. No. She was not unnatural. This world the way it was; that was unnatural. Though she did not say anything. She didn’t want to be killed before she could state her case to the man in charge.

The car was stopped and started to sink into the ground. Her eyes widened and she let out a slightly impressed gasped. Even though technology frightened her, she could not help but be interested in the way they were lowered. As the platform stopped, the hunter stepped out, saying that this was when the fun started. That did not bode well for her. Fun? She swallowed harshly.

Without being told she attempted to open the door. It was locked from the outside. Her brow furrowed and she gave an exasperated sigh. Was she going to have to be dragged around by this man? She placed her finger on the door handle. With a pulling sensation in her stomach, she pushed out her energy, making the wiring in the door malfunction. She smiled as she opened the door and stepped out, straitening out her pink dress.

“I guess you’re going to have to cuff me or something,” she asked. Her mind drifted back to some old books she had read and some of the movies her grandmother had. All of the police officers put handcuffs on people they were taking in. She winced thinking about how the metal may bite into her skin. “I don’t mind.” she lied.

 

[Dark_Times]

He laughed loudly, an ominous sound, "Oh lord no, handcuffs were considered cruel, they gave us these for you instead", he held up a collar, it had what looked like a battery pack and a receiver, "Shock collars, they hurt like a bitch too". He opened the door and pulled her out of the car and shut it, in almost the same movement he pushed her up against the car facing away from him and began fastening the collar.


He was almost pressed against her as he did this, but he was far to experienced to let this distract him, though the idea of making a deal to have her given to him was attractive. He shook it off and stepped away from her, "Now, hold still, I have to test it", he set the handset to a mid-setting and pressed the discharge button.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Her face paled as she was pressed against the car. Shock collar? How was that more humane than a pair of handcuffs? The idea was truly terrifying. Moira wanted to fight against it and to tell him ‘no’ but she knew that would be foolish. She tried her hardest not to try and squirm away as the collar was fastened around her neck. Her face burnt with humiliation as well. Dogs wore collars; not humans.

Hold still? Testing it did not sound pleasant at all! Shouldn’t he have checked his equipment before he heading out?! She whimpered and shook her head. “But, wait I-” but he pressed the button and cut her off. Pain wracked through her body and made her seize completely, her back arching; pushing her firm read against him. Dear gods! She hoped that was the highest setting! When it stopped, parts of her twitched. A nearly silent cry came from her as she shook her head.

“That hurt so bad,” she breathed. “Don’t do it again! I didn’t deserve that!”

 

[Dark_Times]

He smiled sadistically, "That was interesting, perhaps we shall use it on a lower setting later on", he laughed and pointed to a door in the wall behind them, "That way," he raised his rifle, "This is just in case you try anything, down here there are no warnings". He nudged her forward and they set off down a long well lit, white hallway.

This was the second person the boss had ever had brought in to him, and the last one had had horrible things done to him, experiments and the like. It helped them win the war and advance their technology even further.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Her cheeks burnt with anger. Interesting? He knew damned well what it was going to do! He even told her it would hurt. She pursed her lips when he nudged her with the rifle. Even though she was putting up with this for her grandmother, her patience was starting to wear thin. Thank the gods that she would only have to deal with this hunter for a little while longer. She walked down the hallway, not saying a word to her captor. Instead she took in how white and pristine everything was. Compared to the dirty world outside, this place was clean and streamlined; the best that the city had to offer. It was obvious where the money went.

Moira couldn’t help but feel sorry for those who lived there. Her mind when back to the small cabin she shared with her only living relative. It was warm and cozy, if a little cluttered. She just wanted to get back there as soon as possible.

“Does this hallway ever end?” she asked as she walked forward. Finally she was able to see an end to it and she gave a sigh of relief. A man in power was likely to listen to her. At least she was under the impression that a man who was able to rise in the ranks had understanding.

 

[Dark_Times]

He walked in silence and overtook her when they reached the door, he stepped up to a retina scanner and held his eyes still as a red beam scanned over them a few times. A pleasant tone sounded and the doors slid open without a sound, he stood aside to let her pass before following and letting the doors shut behind him.

There we monitors everywhere, clearly this man knew all but chose to help very few. "I have the girl, what would you have me do?", Jacks voice was not arrogant now, it could even be said it sounded fearful. "Stay, I will need your opinion on matters I have observed", the voice was deep and booming, but his chair faced that wall of screens which made him all powerful.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Moira bit her lip. The monitors caught her attention and she studied them. It seemed that every nook and cranny of the city was under constant roving surveillance. She swallowed hard. Now knowing what she did it was stupid to use that magic. Obviously these people knew every tiny little thing that went on within it’s boundaries. But it also gave her a little more hope. They must have saw that those three men where trying to take her! Yes, this man, whomever he was; was going to see in favor of her.

His voice sent a ripple of fear through her. Most of the limited people she knew spoke softly. Even Jack’s voice had a little bit of fear behind it when he asked the question. Now she could see why. Her whole frame was atremble once more. Though she was not going to let that stop her.

“Sir,” she replied meekly. “I know you must have saw me make those men pass out, but it was completely in self defense. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t fear for my life.” Talking to the back of a chair felt weird. She wished she could read his expressions.

 

[Dark_Times]

As she spoke the monitors switched to show one large picture, it was Moira's face, he raised a hand indicating he wanted silence, "Jack, you are my most trusted advisor, and I trust your eyesight as my own, the camera's did not lie, did they?", he remained facing the monitors.

Jack shifted slightly, "Yes Boss, it is true, but you know the laws better than anyone, it would not be a good example for you to let her off....", he was cut off by his own voice being played over some speakers, "Subject Terminated", they echoed in his head, why had he said that, it had not been an order.

"You killed her, nobody will expect us to do anything now, so what should we do with her?", he was treating her like she was invisible, speaking only to Jack, who was now looking far more confident.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

She did not like to be ignored. Moira wondered what was going on. Why would this man pretend like she wasn’t even there? She was the subject they were discussing. Her eyes drifted up to her own face on the screen. Confusion and terror reflected back at her. Nothing had changed. She was still wearing that same expression.

“You can let me go home,” she said hopefully. “You see, my grandmother is quite ill and I need to get back to take care of her. I only came into the city to get something to make her feel better.” She prayed that the pair wouldn’t ignore her again.

She looked to Jack, hoping to catch his eye. If the boss DID ignore her maybe she could get the hunter to vouch for her.

 

[Dark_Times]

Silence enveloped the room as she mentioned her grandmother, "Little girl, you say you have a grandmother, are there others like you and her out there?", he spun the chair to face her, he was taller than Jack, but his head was shaved like the others and his eyes were hidden by dark glasses.


"I will go back with her and check if you wish?", the bosses hand shot up silencing him and making him flinch like he had been shot, he turned and hid his face, a look of hatred burned there for a few seconds. When he turned back his expression was blank again, "Answer him", he said harshly to Moira, clearly taking out his anger on her.

 

[Vivid Fizz]

Her eyes widened! Did they mean to go out and get her grandmother? She could barely stand! No way was the old woman going to be able to handle a shock collar like this. Tears formed in her eyes. There was no one else that she knew of. Sure, some people came to visit, but they were from different parts of the world and not from the city.

“It’s just her and I.” she replied. Quickly she added. “Please don’t hurt her! She doesn’t have a lick of magic anymore; her illness saw to that. Just please, let me go home and see her. She needs help. Let me help her!”

A panic rose within her now.