Note;
I just figured I should put this here before anybody reads it. Sort of as a warning for what I have in store for this story. Basically, I would advise nobody beneath the age of 15 reads the story, because of the fact it is a bit "graphic" in some ways and, well, I want to make it like that because I'm trying to view insanity and sickness in it. If you're below 15 and you want to read it, well, go ahead. But I'm not taking responsibility if you dislike it. Eitherway I don't know how the final piece will turn out, but I'm planning on making it a long-term story I will be working on across the next couple of weeks. (Possibly?)

Also, please no comments yet. If you want to say anything (constructive criticism, compliments, disagreements, etc.) please send me a message. I want to keep it clear of any conversation until I submit the final piece. Thanks guys.

Vivid Imagination
Part 1

"Ah... A perfect specimen, wouldn't you say so, my dear?" - A corpse of a young female lies on a blood-stained wooden slab in this cold, dark industrial room. Obviously this old-ish man would be speaking to the young girl standing nearby him, seemingly it would be his daughter due to the similarities in appearance; the same piercing blue eyes, the same somewhat gaunt facial structure. Although she lacks some of his physical appearance, especially the sickly coloured skin he has.
"... Y-yes father..." - The girl speaks nervously, nodding her head a couple of times. Gazing at the corpse of the woman nearby, it would seem she was unsure of what to think of the body. The old-ish man paces around the room slowly, rubbing his chin as he thinks. Possibly brewing another pointlessly vicious ambition?
"Zhaidra, my sweet.." - The man turns to face the little girl nearby, pacing back towards her. He kneels down infront of her and taps the musty blackened tome she holds onto tightly beneath her arm. A smell of decay comes across her, yet it's mixed with a sickly-sweet smell making it even more nauseating. "... Perhaps it'd be better if you head off to bed, it's rather late and it is a rather big day tomorrow. What with the experiment already being planned out."
Zhaidra nods once more to him, showing hints of nervosity. She fears this man, whether it is her father or not, she fears the way he speaks, the way he moves... And the dreaded touch of his long bizarre fingers... The slightest little scratch from his blackened fingernails.
"Well, then, if you would head off and leave me and the specimen in peace. Myself, I will head to my bed very soon, also. I will wake you early tomorrow morning, if you're not up." - He gives her a faint smile as he gently places his hand on her head, her eyes shutting tight at the moment he touches it. Before he turns and slowly paces back towards an old-fashioned tome he has placed upon an altar of some sorts.
Zhaidra paused for a moment, before she turned and headed off down the spiralling staircase. She knew her way around this massive tower, just it's so dark at night that various creatures walk the corridors. Perhaps it is just a child's imagination, but some of the grotesque monstrosities she's seen pacing up and down the corridors at night...

The next morning, her father woke her up. It was dark still, so there was a chance it was a very early morning.
"Zhaidra... Are you awake?" - He asks, looking over her as she lies comfortably in the bed, opening her eyes and seeing him... She nods slowly in response.
"Ah... , well, the experiment won't be taking place until later on today. It seems there've been a few... Difficulties. Stay in here until I come and collect you, dear. Understand?"
"Yes... Father." - Zhaidra replies, unsure of what's actually going on. She watches her father open the door and leave her room, closing it behind him. Something was strange... He wouldn't usually delay his experiments for any reason, and she knew this. There's always some reason behind it. Zhaidra slowly crept out of bed, getting changed out of her bedwear and into her robes. She crept towards her door and opened it, the darkness from the tower's corridors almost "shined" into her room. The light from the outside didn't seem to push the thick darkness back.
"... F-father?" - She nervously calls for her father, fearing what may be walking the corridors; afterall, her father told her to actually stay in the room. And he has never done that before. She paces out of the room slowly, shutting the door gently. Continuing down the corridors, heading up the spiralling staircase back to the upper floor of the tower, where her father was last night... Horrified as she saw what looked like an autopsy, the body of the young female lies upon the slab still, her head bandaged completely, it appeared to be shaking and jolting everywhere. It uttered muffled screams, its organs and bones were visible as the skin was infact peeled back and nailed into the evermore blood-stained wooden slab. It seemed to stop it's head as it saw Zhaidra, frightened as tears rolled down her face, it made a loud high-pitched screech as it shook its head around even more. She quickly turned, seeing her father with... What could only be described a demonic scowl, he smacked her across the face with a blunt object. Blacking out.

Waking up in a bed, drenched in sweat. Zhaidra sat up, taking in a deep breath. Looking around the room quickly, she noticed she wasn't in the old tower anymore, she was in... A tavern.
"Nightmares again, ma'am?" - A woman asks, she appeared to be a worker of some sort in this tavern. It was daytime. She was clearing up her room, downstairs Zhaidra could hear the chit-chatting peasants and the bartender laughing and shouting.
"... Yes. I've been having similar nightmares for the past couple of days. I can't quite tell what's triggering these nightmares." - Zhaidra looks over the woman for a couple of seconds, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a cloth she conveniently placed by her bedside. Meanwhile this woman opened the curtains... The rays of sunshine leaking into the room in a split second.
"Mmm... I've seen y' having nightmares for the past couple'a days. I've been wondering if I should wake y' up or not when I see y' thrashing about in y' sleep." - The woman gives a somewhat concerned look to Zhaidra, whilst she sits there thinking about the dream she had. About her childhood, and what she saw.
"Well, I better leave y' be, hope y' feel better soon ma'am." - The woman nods politely to Zhaidra, giving her a smile before heading off and shutting the door behind her.
"... You shouldn't be here, Zhaidra..." - A faint whisper is heard, she looks around the room. Noticing a disfigured, bloodied body in the corner, it appears to have another, similar bandage wrapped around it's head with a permanent grin on it's face. Her eyes flicker, as it vanished without a trace.
"... What?" - Zhaidra looks around the room, still she seems to be unsure what these things are. Looking over to the window and wiping her head as she finally pulls herself from the bed.
"I've got such a headache..." - She whispers to herself, hearing the clanging of plates, folks and knives. The sound of a fork screeching on the plate. Another bundle of sweat trickles down her forehead, before wiping it away with the cloth.
"... Why're you smiling?" - The same voice whispers, she shuts her eyes tight as she rests her elbows near the window, opening the window and quickly taking in a deep breath. Hearing the faint breathing of another next to her.
"... Stop it, stop it. It's not funny anymore. What's wrong with you?" - Again, the voice whispers. Zhaidra opens her eyes and looks out of the window again.
"... Nothing." - Zhaidra replies, apparently speaking to herself due to the lack of answers.

A couple of hours later, when Zhaidra had finally dressed herself in her robes and ventured downstairs into the tavern; she doesn't even remember stepping into this tavern, not one bit. She vaguely remembers even ordering a room, or paying for it.

" room, aye?" - The tavernkeeper asks, giving a broad smile while he twiddles with his thick moustache.
"It was... Satisfactory, I guess you could say. I didn't expect that woman to come in early in the morning however." - Zhaidra replies to the tavernkeeper, resting her elbows upon the bar.
"Ah, y'mean the lass Alanna? Yes, hm... I asked her to clean out the rooms in the morning. Replace the flowers and clean the tables... Been gathering a little bit of dust I saw when I inspected them last. Hired a few more lasses to help with the cleaning too... Some of 'em haven't even turned up this morning. Typical, huh?" - The tavernkeeper grins, looking to another man nearby.
"Hm, I suppose. Well, I'm going to head off. Thank you for the hospice." - Zhaidra responds after a little silence.
"Anytime, Zhaidra. Take care now, won't you?" - The tavernkeep nods to her once, serving the man who stood nearby Zhaidra finally.
Walking through the streets of Bowerstone with a faint smile glued to her face as she looked about, forgetting all about her dog which stood by her loyally. Her mother allowed this dog to stay with her when she was young, it was a stray puppy which followed her in the Bowerstone slums. Ever since then she's cared for it herself, afterall, her mother was just one of those people who just really don't care about their children. After her death, she lived with her father in his tower... Before... It.
"Zhaidra, you're too for that." - A familiar voice speaks, breaking her thoughts, although her mind tells her that it would be "it," again. Zhaidra simply shuts her eyes tight and hopes it goes away... Although it never does. It's always creeping upon her.

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Vivid Imagination
Part 2

“Sweet, sweet insanity… Isn’t it taking… Form of controlling you, Zhaidra? Isn’t it starting… Effecting you more or less worse than anything you’ve ever thought… Would? … Your depression, self-loathing, anger... None of it… Deeply as this, now.” – Voices talk from various different directions, none of them even slightly familiar. The way they spoke was completely wrong and mixed up, she couldn't distinguish many of the creatures' words...
“Why don’t you just go away, leave me alone. I’ve done nothing to you…” – Zhaidra, in reality, mutters under her breath, at the time she was cowering on the ground nearby a shop in Bowerstone. Literally just a few steps out from the tavern, perhaps a few meters away.
The thoughts that ran through her head were warped images of a large room, with these cloaked figures with their hands put together. The darkness covering everything, all she could see was a dim candle light in the background. These distorted figures stood there, their mouths extended way beyond that of an average humanoid mouth. The words they spoke, the way they laughed, none of it sounded human... They sounded so odd. Their features were long and freakish; their eyes were hollow, black holes. Somewhat like a humanoid skull with the jaw being abnormally long, the eye sockets empty, and the skin literally hanging off their faces.
”Are you okay?” – Another voice speaks, not as distorted as the voices speaking directly into her mind. Followed by these… Distorted barks that didn’t sound like anything she had ever heard before.
“You’re special not, Zhaidra… Just a mental soul… Needing to… Locked away like… Others. Dealing with, like the others.” – These figures speak once more, again they speak in a very odd way. She comes to her senses as she notices a face quickly move infront of hers, she was sat near the doorway of a shop, sweat pouring down her face as she looks at this man who kneels before her, his face directly infront of hers. She realizes that this man seems to be a guard.
“Y’alright, aren’t you lass? You jus’ fainted in the middle of the street. Your dog, who seems ‘asn’t left y’side since y’fainted, has been barking madly for ages. One’a the citizens pulled me to come over to you. How about I take y’ to the tavern and buy you a room t’ stay in, aye?” – The guard smiles faintly to her; she wipes her brow as she thinks quickly over the situation. She feels disoriented from the blackout, and doesn’t quite know what to say in response.
“… I… I don’t quite feel like resting… I feel I need t’head for a walk, it’ll clear my senses…” – Zhaidra says to the guard, her eyes flickering slightly. The only thing going through her head at the time was what she saw in that blackout, seeing that room with the creatures speaking to her.
“I understand. If y’need anything just come t’me, I’ll be around the Bowerstone gate.” – The guard continues, Zhaidra nods slowly and quietly in response to him as she pulls herself up. Zhaidra’s loyal dog companion, who still stands by her side, nudges her somewhat as she attempts to stand. Perhaps he seeks to help her to her feet, as he cares for her well-being.

Roughly an hour later, Zhaidra had gone to a nearby park with her dog. The soft blowing of the wind made her feel calm inside, it emptied her head and brought her back to reality.
“You know, I don’t quite understand what “they” want with me. I don’t understand what makes them feel like… I should be the one to feel the sting. I… I’ve tried to speak to people before about this problem, but they just shrug it off as me being daft, having weird dreams…” – Zhaidra looks to her dog, sitting next to her on the bench. He nudges her, giving her the “soulful eyes” look.
“I don’t understand… I… I saw these bizarre creatures earlier; they spoke in such a weird manner, they had the appearance of near-dead humanoids. Their facial structure was near humanoid, just with an extremely long jawbone… And empty eye-sockets, somewhat like a skull. They had an aura of coldness around them. I don’t quite know what to think of them, or even what to do about this.”
Her dog nudges her once more as he licks her hand. Obviously he cares for her, possibly even knowing that she is having these bizarre dreams and these grotesque creatures invading her dreams. This dog knows that she's upset.

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Fantastic! A very different take on Fable, I must say. I don't think any story I've read thus far has looked at this game in such a way as this. I love it. Don't ever stop!

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(After quite a long break, I've decided to continue Part 2 now. I still haven't finished yet though. Damn you Cheesus. )

Vivid Imagination
Part 2 (Continued)

"What am I talking about... Although you listen to me a lot more than any of the others did, what am I talking about? Maybe I'm just going crazy..." - Zhaidra talks to the dog who appears to be sat loyally by her side, putting on the sad-face still.
"... Ah, so somebody else is 'ere..." - A man, perhaps from Bowerstone, takes a few steps down from the gateway leading out of the small park. He appears dressed in what could only be described as the 'common villagers garments.' The only thing that would stand out most would be the monocle he has.
"Hm?" - Zhaidra looks back to this man, whilst her dog's ears go up as it looks at the newcomer.
"What're y' doing out here on y'own, lass?" - This man studies the environment around him, noting mentally that she is the only one here. He fiddles with something, looking like he is scratching his lower-back area.
"... Well, I just came to get some peace and quiet. You're welcome to join me if you like, although... Well, I don't... I don't know, do what you like." - Zhaidra shrugs slightly, unsure what to say to this newcomer. She returns her gaze back to the dog who still remains seated by her side, noticing that he hasn't took his eyes off this newcomer.
"Do wha' I like, eh? Hmm... Maybe I will." - The man suddenly goes quiet. Zhaidra gazes off over the entire park area, faintly smiling at all the trees before she hears this sudden bang... Followed by a great amount of pain surging through her arm.
"... Ngh... What the..." - Zhaidra looks to her arm, holding it with her other hand. Hearing the dog bark loudly along with the man laughing, then followed by shouting as she finds herself laying on the floor face-down. This man shot her, of all the things he could do, he shot her. Not that she knows why he did, perhaps because of the fact he's just a plain and simple murderer who takes pleasure from shooting innocents, or perhaps he's just the sort who seeks to plunder the wealth of others. Zhaidra slips in and out of consciousness due to the pain, incapable of feeling where the bullet hit. Whether it shattered a bone, or whether it shot through her entire arm.
In the background all she could hear were these whispers, along with the shouting and laughing of the man. The dog barked constantly throughout this entire thing, but she also felt this moist warmth on her face. Sweat trickling down her head, a great coolness pulsing on each side of her throat and down her body, like you would get after working for many long hours and then submitting yourself to a cold breeze. Adrenaline kicks in from the wound, making it not hurt as bad as it did, but that still wasn't enough to help her pull herself from the ground.

(Going to continue later, got some stuff to do. Will either edit this post or post another. If you have any comments (positive or negative comments. Constructive criticism only, please. For all of my work.) message me, please don't comment me in this thread. Thanks guys.)

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Vivid Imagination
Part 2 (Continued. Again.)

Zhaidra snapped out of the state she were in, finding herself in... A dark room, with some candles spread about the tables around her. Attempting to sit herself up, she couldn't move. She appears to be strapped onto this slab, thick leather belts holding her to it. She only just realised she has some contraption holding her head still, it looks much like a device you'd use to torture somebody or something you want information out of. Looking out of the corner of her eye she could see a figure standing above something like another slab, but she could only hear the unmistakable sound of a bone-crunching, snapping sound... Next to the sound of flesh being split open. After a couple of dreadful minutes, there was another squelch. Only after these disgusting sounds, does she actually realise her arm no longer hurts from the bullet wound she unwillingly received that day. The figure turns, gazing at Zhaidra, she couldn't make out who or what the figure is.
"So... Y'appen to be awake, huh?" - The figure speaks, definitely a human. Infact he sounds rather familiar to Zhaidra.
"Well, Zhaidra, y' suffered quite a wound. Y'should'a given yer gold t' the highwayman, quite frankly yer lucky to survive... Hm..." - Multiple questions, at that moment in time, went through her head. She was unsure whether she actually knows this man or not, and even then, where she actually is in the world... For all she knows, she could be 12 miles beneath Bowerstone, or... The middle of nowhere.
"It... Wasn't a highwayman..." - Zhaidra mutters, just about managing to speak. The man, who was about to turn and walk away, came closer to her and looked down, inspecting the scar on her arm from the bulletwound.
"Who was it, Zhaidra? Do y' remember what he looked like?" - This man unstraps her from the slab, figuring she is well enough to move about. As Zhaidra sat up and moved, she saw... Dozens of bodies, some people still living, many blooded surgical tools scattered across tables and some on the floor. All of these people have different things wrong with them, some are diseased with some sort of plague, others are just... Dead, with their insides poured all over a seperate table sitting by the slabs.
"... What is all this?" - Zhaidra asks as she takes one more glance over the horrific display. After a few moments she looks back to the man, hoping he'd give a very reason why he is doing this to these people.
"Research, Zhaidra." - The man responds to her, possibly knowing that this would seem to be some form of slaughterhouse.
"Research? ... This? It's... Exactly the same as what my father would've done." - Zhaidra gazes at the man, before she looks around, noticing there's a door nearby. She slowly starts pacing towards the door, before the man grabs her by the arm.
"Don't get the wrong idea, alrigh'? I don't want'ya thinking that I'm some sick freak." - The man gazes into Zhaidra's eyes, although she can barely see his, she feels that he would be doing something for the world. Although, what this would just seem to the common eye would be just sadistic behaviour.

(Next part I'll do will be part 3, I'll make it longer than Part 2 and not in bits. Also, as a reminder, if you have any comments, send them to me via my inbox. )

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