Fear the Reaper

[pumpkinbot343]

From the old HHNVAULT forum.

 

THE ICON



The Grim Reaper: The Unfortunate Tale of Benjamin and Mariah Kush

The year is 1698. The location, somewhere in rural Europe. Benjamin and Mariah Kush are a happily married couple who live and work in a Cornfield, residing in their two story wooden home. They lived about a mile from the nearest town, which they travelled to once a week to purchase supplies, sell their wares, and to converse. On any typical day Benjamin would be working the cornfields while Mariah shut herself up in her private room, which to Benjamin was forbidden; whenever she wasn't in the room, which wasn't terribly often, she kept it devoid of intruders via a strong, iron lock. The key of said lock was always worn around Mariah's neck. At one point the mayor of the nearby village had visited their residence and seemed awfully perturbed about the room. Benjamin was often curious about what lay within it, but never really made any attempt to find out what. Regardless of that quirk, Benjamin and Mariah's was a relatively happy life and a happy marriage: Benjamin loved Mariah with all his heart.

One day Benjamin and Mariah had made the mile-trip to the village to sell their corn when disaster struck. A man named Oliver Alexander accused Mariah of being a witch. Almost immediately a trial was set up, with, ironically, Oliver Alexander himself presiding as judge, and several others served as a makeshift jury. Oliver cited the locked, secret room within the Kush's home to be the evidence incriminating Mariah. Before Benjamin could protest they wisked her off to several tests... they determined that witches did not feel pain when their hair was cut and would float when tossed into water. Unfortunately Mariah failed both of these examinations and it was determined that she would be burned at the stake. Finally Benjamin burst out and protested. Oliver asked Ben if even he knew what lay within the hidden room... he had to admit he had no idea. He looked sadly at Mariah, already being fastened to a stake, who simply stared back. All life seemed to have left her eyes. Benjamin grieved as the fire was quickly lit and Mariah burned... her shrieking scarred Benjamin's mind forever. Finally, she passed, her head limp. One by one the villagers who had stopped to watch walked back to their homes, as it was getting late, and the "show" was over.

The next morning, when the villagers came to collect the corpse, they found it was missing.

For the next few days Benjamin was cursed by grief. He felt immense loneliness and twangs of depression, his one loyal friend gone. He began to write a diary in order to maintain his thoughts and feelings somehow. To make matters worse, the voice and shrieks of Mariah still rang out in his head, especially during the night. They haunted him to no end and they wouldn't vanish. After many days of this he took the undamaged key, that had still been around Mariah's neck, and cautiously opened the locked door. Inside, he found a contained chamber with dozens and dozens of ceremonial candles. A strange, semi-large ring lay in the center of the room, with strange symbols painted on the table - painted in blood. Several books with strange symbols that explained Voodoo and Witchcraft lay on a shelf to the left.

But most importnatly was Mariah's corpse, sitting almost stupidly on the table. Ben had stolen the body and placed her in the room so at least he could keep her somehow. He couldn't lose her. The voices haunted him again. This time, however, they seemed to form actual words. Benjamin heard Mariah.

"Benjamin... kill him. Avenge me."

Benjamin was disturbed and overjoyed at the same time. Then he asked to himself,

"Kill whom?"

"The person who killed me. Oliver... Alexander..."

"I am not a murderer, Mariah! I love you, but I am not a murderer!"

"Benjamin, you must avenge me! Bring justice to injustice! Give the bastard what he deserves... kill him... Ben... don't you love me...?"

Benjamin shook the voices off and continued for several more days, regularly documenting his troubles in his diary, until the voices became unbearable. He again entered the room, and looked straight at Mariah's decaying corpse.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

The corpse emptily stared at him. For it was a corpse, of course. As if it was mocking him. Benjamin was so overcome with rage and despair that he grabbed for the corpse, but accidently tearing off Mariah's head in the process. Now even he angrier, he screamed at the head... who screamed back. Benjamin screamed again, tossing the corpse in front of him. After gathering his bearings, he picked it up again and stared at it. The head began to speak.

"Benjamin. Please. Avenge me. KILL HIM."

At last, Benjamin gave in. He left Mariah's head on the table and quickly departed the house, breathing heavily and sweating terribly. He grabbed his scythe and proceeded into the village. There he found Oliver Alexander, and threatened him with his scythe to remain quiet. He then knocked him unconscious and dragged him back the mile to the cornfield; once there he made a clearing away from the house, gathered some firewood, and produced a stake. He then fastened the now stirring Oliver to this stake and lit the fire.

Ben watched Oliver burn and shriek with remorse. And yet he felt some how fulfilled. To add insult to injury, once Oliver was dead and gone, he hoisted him off the still burning stake with his scythe, and sliced off his head. He then took dumped the body deeper into the cornfield, but took the head back to Mariah in the room. There he held it in front of the corpse.

"There, Mariah. Are you happy?"

Benjamin could've sworn he heard Mariah say "No".

Days passed. Benjamin heard word that Oliver Alexander was missing, but it was assumed he had merely gotten intoxicated, wandered off, and would be back within a day or two. Meanwhile the voices had not disapeered; they still persisted within Ben's troubled mind. They continued to say to avenge Mariah... though this only confused Benjamin, as he had thought he'd already avenged her. Finally the voices became unbearable to the point where Ben would have ear-splitting headaches and would even vomit constantly. Weakened and frightened, he went back into the room to see Mariah.

"What do you want from me, Mariah?"

The corpse spoke.

"I want you to avenge me. Make their imperfect souls suffer."

"I already avenged you my love..."

"No. Your work is not yet done. Go find the jury members. Bring them to the field and kill them. Avenge me, Benjamin Kush, avenge me!"

Seeing no other option, Benjamin proceeded into town and repeated the process of kidnapping, burning, and slicing his victims. Each time he noticed it bothered him less and less. After one week, in which time he had finished the last jury member, he was completely numbed. By this point the village had realized that something was going on and begin to keep a careful eye on its patrons. And unfortunately for Benjamin, the voices still persisted. Mariah demanded that he slay the bystanders who watched and did nothing. Without regret or complaint Benjamin began to slay these people, too, one by one. Until finally, a man named Mark Finnegan realized that the disapeerances must be murders. He staked out that evening with two of his friends. They sighted Benjamin knocking out a woman who had watched the execution and then proceeding to drag her back towards the cornfield. Mark and his friends cautiously followed a fair distance behind.

Unfortunately by the time they caught up with Ben at the clearing the woman was already dead; they watched in horror as Ben sliced off her head with his scythe. Angered, disturbed, and disgusted, Mark ran at Benjamin, catching him by surprise; he knocked him into the fire, his scythe falling to the ground.

Benjamin screamed and tried to crawl out, but his pants were caught on a sharper piece of wood. The three villagers watched in bitter satisfaction as he burned, watching to be sure he had died.

Unfortunately for them, Ben broke free. Still on fire, he scooped up his scythe and charged at the men, slicing away at their throats and chests until all three were dead and mutilated. Ben himself was horrifically mutilated; the fire had burned off entire portions of his flesh and certainly most of his skin, even exposing parts of his skull. He was in agonizing pain. Ben realized he didn't have long before he perished of his wounds. He quickly took his scythe to the house where he feverishly wrote a final diary entry using his own bleeding finger. He then entered the room to talk to Mariah one last time.

"Benjamin. You have done well. But your work is not complete."

"Mariah, I am dying..."

"Use your final moments to slaughter all those who destroyed our love. Go to the village and slaughter the men, the women, the cattle, the children! Make them pay, Benjamin Kush, AVENGE ME! AVENGE ME!!!"

Benjamin charged down the stairs at that, grabbing his scythe again and donning a dark-black cloak, shrouding his face. He ran to town where he began crashing into every residence, brutally slaughtering every living being within regardless of age or gender. He had slaughtered half of the remaining villagers by the time the other half awoke and surrounded him with pitchforks, torches, and knives. Making one final stand, Benjamin charged at the closing mob, swinging his scythe wildly, slicing off heads and through bodies; finally, he was struck clean in the chest by a pitchfork. Still holding his scythe, Benjamin fell to his knees, and cried:

"Oh, Mariah! Bring sweet, sweet, death!"

And he died.

The remaining villagers, shocked by the turn of events, depressingly turned away, grieving for the many killed in the massacre, and went back to their dwellings.

Meanwhile Ben was rushing through purgatory, approaching Hell. But then, unexpectedly, he came to an abrupt halt. Then he heard the voice of Mariah ring out, yet again...

"Benjamin, dear... your work is not finished. It will never be finished. Do you see what these people have done to you? What they've done to me? What they've done to US? They all must die, Benjamin Kush. You must end the lives of the living and punish those who already are dead. Slice their heads off and burn their corpses. Travel the world and kill all, as they all have the same corrupted minds. Where you go, death shall be swift to follow. Bring all of the corpses back to the field.. to... me... so we may harvest them... it shall be a harvest of souls. They will all pay for their inner evil, and you shall be their Grim Reaper!"

With that, Benjamin Kush opened his eyes and grinned. Of course, he was no longer Benjamin Kush. No, he was something far more wicked and powerful. He was the Grim Reaper.