Ecstasy

EDIT 1/10/05 Disclaimer - This story is completely fictional and while names of person/people living are used the situations, circumstances and personal views portrayed within this story are all false and of my sick creation. I make no money or legal gain from writing these stories. All relative warnings related to this story are clearly indicated and should you be reading this story and take offence I accept no responsibility having warned you thoroughly before undertaking the project. If you sue, you won\'t make a dime so don\'t bother. RIFFRAFF.

Chapter 1

From a far she watched as he talked to his simple friends, laughing and chatting like he had all the time in world. He captivated her like many of them did, she calculated his every movement like it was her own. They did not know each other, yet she knew all to well what they had in store for him. She was compelled to feel sorry for all their victims even though she’d only come within fifty meters or so of them all. Innocents was her cover as she watched them die from a distance, knowing every person’s face like her best friend but without even knowing their names. Following them for days to make sure they were all just the same, until one night she’d get the word and a new assignment would arise, the previous one already disposed of like garbage. All of them had been selected and chosen from birth, only the exceptions would ever be picked after that and only the exceptions would ever survive once marked.

Just like all the others, he was not more than twenty-five. A young male, talented at his chosen path in life and all to full of joy and happiness. Tall, well built and a total lady-killer. With all the looks and moves to make the influential females swoon at his side. She’d been following him for nine weeks, and already she was tiring of his appearance and traits, not all of them touched her heart some of them she felt disserved their fate. Although it was a horrible way to die, it would usually prove to be the best night of their little lives. Unsuspecting until it was too late, the blood spilt and nobody any the wiser. All her life she’d been prepared for this. Till she was old enough to complete a task without fault she would accompany other escorts as they called them. Only few were allowed to be escorts, only those who possessed the talent, to protect themselves if things got nasty. It was not often escorts ever died needlessly, or without a fight and when they did everyone was aware of it.

She sighed heavily, burring her face in the book she was reading as he and his friends walked straight past her. Not even giving her a second thought as they continued to chat. It’s like they didn’t even notice she was even sitting there, she’d love for them just to stop once so she could hear their names, but they never did. It was strictly forbidden for escorts to ever talk to a passenger unless they talked to you first and even then you had to remove yourself from the situation immediately. It was a rather lonely life being an escort, she had hardly any friends and spent most of her time sitting alone watching and taking notes on their passengers.

She quickly finished her drink and pushed her sunglasses on to her nose before standing up to follow him. As she did, she caught a glimpse of two other escorts mingled in with the lunchtime crowd. They both looked at her and smiled and nodded their heads towards her. She nodded and turned around to go the opposite way that he had done. They had voted and his time was now up, her job finished and theirs had just begun. It would only be a day before he’d be culled, slaughtered like the others. His screams unheard and his soul theirs for eternity. As she walked away, she hear the deathly laughter as they closed in on him, drawing him to them like bees to honey. They were all sweet, beautiful in every way, inviting their prey into their trap. They were all devils within angel’s skin, irresistible to those stupid enough to look longer than desired. She herself was never a part of the culling only ever witness to the horrors it contained. Escorts where held high within the order, their beauty and ability something not to take likely. Though they never got their hands dirty so to speak, watching only from a far before continuing to another passenger.

She never looked back after the point at which her acquaintances took over, her mind unable to focus on the past, instead taking on the future head on. She used to look back when she was younger, just curiy ovy overriding sense, but now she stared firmly in the other direction determined not to feel their pain like so often she did. What she saw was them being pulled into their inviting trap by their looks and deceptive tactics. They always-worked in pairs, like lions and their prey, there was safety in numbers and the passenger didn’t stand a chance unless he was an exception to the rules. An escort’s job was to prevent such exceptions to these rules, pre warning all involved about his strengths and weakness before he was moved in on.

She closed her eyes as she walked out of the gate, her back straight and her mind shut off, detaching herself from him before it was to late. People looked at her and stared as she crossed the road effortlessly, the car seeming to automatically stop for her as she passed. She’d grown used to people staring at her like she was an alien, so now she blocked them out finding their interest comforting rather than offensive. The wind blew up as she glided down the steps to the docks on the waterside. It was a fresh change from the thick inner city air. She licked her ruby red lips as the salt stung them from the watery breeze. The ferry was waiting just as she came to the gate, pushing her way down the walkway and onto the little boat. The man standing taking the change, stared at her as she handed over the correct money, smiling at him lightly before taking the ticket and sitting towards the back of the boat. As the boat pulled away from the little jetty, she took out a little silver bound book from her sidebag, she opened it to a page within its cover. She smiled as she picked up the engraved fountain pen from it’s holder and crossed off his number before putting it away carefully and sitting back to enjoy the boat ride across the river. Just another successful task, completed without as much as a hiccup. Like the many that had past and the many she had to go, her life plan would only grow, and so to would she.

TBC........

(A/N) I am not the author of this story but I have her permission to post this on her behalf. It was written for a private message board but I begged my friend from uni to let me post this to the wider audience, cause it\'s so damn good. Please feel free to send feedback as all will be forward to the author for her to see. This was written after reading Chaz Brechley\'s (Light Errant and Dead of Light) books which can be found only at library\'s as it is now out of print. Any questions can be forward to my address and I shall pass them on.

Thanks

Riff Raff