Fic: Number 9, Prompt #5 - Arcade
Aug. 12th, 2006 09:59 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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tamingthemuseOk, I wrote my first Original fic and horror fic for this challenge. I hope it works.
Title: Number 9
Pairing: None
Fandom: Original Fic
Rating: Mature/Adults Only
Prompt: Arcade
Warnings: Distrubing images.
Summary: August 1983. A killer goes hunting for a victim.
Author's Note: My first horror story. Nothing graphic but implied violence to a child. Character death.
Number 9
It started out as a normal summer day in the sleepy Northern California town. It was too hot to be outside unless you had the luxury a swimming pool, which few were privileged enough to enjoy. Some tried to cool off at public pool, but the heat had been so intense the water was warm and uncomfortable.
It was predicted to be 108 degrees that day, a mere two degrees off the record. It was hot. Too hot to do much of anything outside.
The solution for most was to hang out in the arcade where the lights were turned down low and the air conditioning was turned up high. It was cheap, it was fun and it was cool.
The aisles were packed, the kids, mostly boys, playing the latest and greatest games, spending money they were able to beg off their parents. They laughed and cheered without a care in the world, never noticing the danger amongst them.
The man slowly stalked the aisles of the dark gaming room. He smiled, his teeth white and even, as he greeted each child he met.
The kids all knew him as Mr. Jangles, although they knew it wasn't his real name. He liked the moniker and encouraged it amongst the small community of youngsters. He got the name by way of the sound he made walking around with the large amount of quarters in his pockets.
He wasn't old, except by a twelve year olds standards. He was tall and handsome, his hair always cut in the latest style and just starting to grey at the temples. He seemed nice and quiet, always happy and willing to help kid who had run out of cash but were reluctant to return home. He knew all the regulars by name and those he didn't he called 'pal' or 'buck-a-roo' or 'dude'. He talked to them like they were people and not just kids, and seemed to be interested in what they thought and what they liked. He made them feel special.
They all like him. And he liked them.
Mr. Jangles turned down the aisle leading toward the back and recognized Tommy Leider scowling at a game of Centipede. Walking up to the angry boy, the man laid his hand gently on the boy's shoulder.
"What's the matter, Tommy?" he asked, true concern coloring his voice.
"Some jerks came through last night and took my name off the high score."
Mr. Jangles looked and sure enough, TOM was down to position number three. Numbers one and two were listed as ASS and DIK respectively. Teenagers, no doubt. They always thought they were so clever, being vulgar like that. Mr. Jangles couldn't stand that. It was one the reasons why he came here early in the day when the younger kids populated the halls.
"Well," Mr. Jangles said brightly. "I guess you'll just have to work really hard today to get back up there, right? I'm sure you can do it."
The twelve year old boy ducked his head and scuffed the toes of his Vans on the worn carpet. "I would, but I'm out of quarters. I used 'em all earlier on the new Q*Bert game."
Mr. Jangles smiled as he reached deep into his pockets, pulling out a handful of shiny quarters.
"Here you go, Tommy. Make me proud."
The young boy shook his head, his eyes glued to the fistful of change. "I can't, Mr. Jangles."
"Sure you can," the older man persisted. "You'd be doing me a favor by bumping those jerks down a few positions, alright?"
Tommy smiled widely as the quarters transferred into his much smaller hands. It was a beautiful, honest, innocent smile and the one the reason's Mr. Jangles did what he did.
Pulling a crisp one dollar bill out of his other pocket, the older man handed it over as well.
"Get yourself a Pepsi while you're at it. You might need the energy."
His shyness over taking the man's money completely obliterated, Tommy tore the dollar out of the outstretched hand and rushed off to the snack bar.
"Thanks, Mr. Jangles," the boy called over his shoulder before turning the corner.
The man shook his head and chuckled. He enjoyed the innocence and trust of youth.
He continued his perusal the arcade, stopping to talk to a boy here, give a girl a quarter or two there. It looked like it was going to be a normal day, until he rounded the corner and spotted him.
The young boy stood alone off in the corner at a lone Frogger machine. He practically glowed in the soft light, his red shirt flaming brilliantly, calling to the older man like a beacon.
The man known as Mr. Jangles froze, entranced by the young beauty. He knew. He knew he was the one. The one he came here for. The one to be his next masterpiece. As he stared, he could see the boy opening for him, his flesh, his body, his soul; all for him.
A girl ran past him, Jennifer something, bumping him hard as she giggled, running away from the boy chasing her. He wished to curse at her, but he restrained myself, not wishing to scare any of the children and taint his carefully groomed image.
Settling a smile on his face, he approached the gleaming boy before him. "Hi, Jimmy," he greeted quietly.
The young boy turned and smiled at the older man before returning to his game. "Hey, Mr. Jangles. How's it going?"
"It's going great, Pal." Leaning over the boy, the older man tried to look like he was watching the game while he surreptitiously smelled the wavy blond hair. "Why are you over here by yourself?"
The boy simply shrugged as his frog jumped off the back of a crocodile and to safety, propelling the boy to the next level. "I don't know. I guess everyone else is off playing the new Star Wars game. Either that or Pole Position."
Mr. Jangles nodded, moving in closer to the boy. It was normal for the kids to flock toward the new and shiny games, only playing the older ones when they had to or when the others were too busily occupied.
"You didn't want to play those?" he asked, curious about the boy's decision.
"Nah," Jimmy admitted quietly over the music of the game. "My brother Dave was being stupid and teasing me about stuff."
Mr. Jangles didn't have to ask what Jimmy's older brother was teasing him about. The boy had just turned thirteen and was obviously deep in the embarrassing changes that took place in a young boy at that age. Most found it awkward but the man thought it was a beautiful time.
"Well, Dave's a jerk," Mr. Jangles pronounced as the young boy laughed. "He had plenty of problems with stuff when he was your age. Just ignore him."
"'K," the boy sighed as his last electronic frog was crushed by a fast moving digital truck. He turned and smiled up at the man standing a little too close behind him. "And now I'm out of quarters."
Mr. Jangles returned the smile, his a little too wide. Instead of reaching into his pocket, he laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know, I've got an Atari 5200 at home and I just got some new games for it. Top of the line stuff. We could stop at the 7-11 and grab some Slurpees and ice cream on the way, if you want."
The boy's crystal blue eyes darted wildly around the arcade, trying to decide what to do. "I don't know. Mom told Dave and me to stay together. We're supposed to be home by six."
"But you're not together now and he's being a jerk anyway. Besides, I'll be sure to get you home in plenty of time for dinner, ok?"
The boy shifted and squirmed for a minute. A large 'whoop' followed by raucous laughter echoed throughout the noisy arcade. It was Dave and his friends, obviously making fun of someone else. Jimmy's face hardened and he quickly said, "Yeah, let's get out of here."
The older man smiled and led the young boy out of the dark and into the bright, hot day.
The man known as Mr. Jangles walked out of the arcade that day with little Jimmy Masterson. But one day they would find the young boy's mutilated, decapitated body, bound with the cords of an outdated game controller and he would be known to the world at large as the Game Boy Killer's victim number 9.
~~The End~~
Title: Number 9
Pairing: None
Fandom: Original Fic
Rating: Mature/Adults Only
Prompt: Arcade
Warnings: Distrubing images.
Summary: August 1983. A killer goes hunting for a victim.
Author's Note: My first horror story. Nothing graphic but implied violence to a child. Character death.
It started out as a normal summer day in the sleepy Northern California town. It was too hot to be outside unless you had the luxury a swimming pool, which few were privileged enough to enjoy. Some tried to cool off at public pool, but the heat had been so intense the water was warm and uncomfortable.
It was predicted to be 108 degrees that day, a mere two degrees off the record. It was hot. Too hot to do much of anything outside.
The solution for most was to hang out in the arcade where the lights were turned down low and the air conditioning was turned up high. It was cheap, it was fun and it was cool.
The aisles were packed, the kids, mostly boys, playing the latest and greatest games, spending money they were able to beg off their parents. They laughed and cheered without a care in the world, never noticing the danger amongst them.
The man slowly stalked the aisles of the dark gaming room. He smiled, his teeth white and even, as he greeted each child he met.
The kids all knew him as Mr. Jangles, although they knew it wasn't his real name. He liked the moniker and encouraged it amongst the small community of youngsters. He got the name by way of the sound he made walking around with the large amount of quarters in his pockets.
He wasn't old, except by a twelve year olds standards. He was tall and handsome, his hair always cut in the latest style and just starting to grey at the temples. He seemed nice and quiet, always happy and willing to help kid who had run out of cash but were reluctant to return home. He knew all the regulars by name and those he didn't he called 'pal' or 'buck-a-roo' or 'dude'. He talked to them like they were people and not just kids, and seemed to be interested in what they thought and what they liked. He made them feel special.
They all like him. And he liked them.
Mr. Jangles turned down the aisle leading toward the back and recognized Tommy Leider scowling at a game of Centipede. Walking up to the angry boy, the man laid his hand gently on the boy's shoulder.
"What's the matter, Tommy?" he asked, true concern coloring his voice.
"Some jerks came through last night and took my name off the high score."
Mr. Jangles looked and sure enough, TOM was down to position number three. Numbers one and two were listed as ASS and DIK respectively. Teenagers, no doubt. They always thought they were so clever, being vulgar like that. Mr. Jangles couldn't stand that. It was one the reasons why he came here early in the day when the younger kids populated the halls.
"Well," Mr. Jangles said brightly. "I guess you'll just have to work really hard today to get back up there, right? I'm sure you can do it."
The twelve year old boy ducked his head and scuffed the toes of his Vans on the worn carpet. "I would, but I'm out of quarters. I used 'em all earlier on the new Q*Bert game."
Mr. Jangles smiled as he reached deep into his pockets, pulling out a handful of shiny quarters.
"Here you go, Tommy. Make me proud."
The young boy shook his head, his eyes glued to the fistful of change. "I can't, Mr. Jangles."
"Sure you can," the older man persisted. "You'd be doing me a favor by bumping those jerks down a few positions, alright?"
Tommy smiled widely as the quarters transferred into his much smaller hands. It was a beautiful, honest, innocent smile and the one the reason's Mr. Jangles did what he did.
Pulling a crisp one dollar bill out of his other pocket, the older man handed it over as well.
"Get yourself a Pepsi while you're at it. You might need the energy."
His shyness over taking the man's money completely obliterated, Tommy tore the dollar out of the outstretched hand and rushed off to the snack bar.
"Thanks, Mr. Jangles," the boy called over his shoulder before turning the corner.
The man shook his head and chuckled. He enjoyed the innocence and trust of youth.
He continued his perusal the arcade, stopping to talk to a boy here, give a girl a quarter or two there. It looked like it was going to be a normal day, until he rounded the corner and spotted him.
The young boy stood alone off in the corner at a lone Frogger machine. He practically glowed in the soft light, his red shirt flaming brilliantly, calling to the older man like a beacon.
The man known as Mr. Jangles froze, entranced by the young beauty. He knew. He knew he was the one. The one he came here for. The one to be his next masterpiece. As he stared, he could see the boy opening for him, his flesh, his body, his soul; all for him.
A girl ran past him, Jennifer something, bumping him hard as she giggled, running away from the boy chasing her. He wished to curse at her, but he restrained myself, not wishing to scare any of the children and taint his carefully groomed image.
Settling a smile on his face, he approached the gleaming boy before him. "Hi, Jimmy," he greeted quietly.
The young boy turned and smiled at the older man before returning to his game. "Hey, Mr. Jangles. How's it going?"
"It's going great, Pal." Leaning over the boy, the older man tried to look like he was watching the game while he surreptitiously smelled the wavy blond hair. "Why are you over here by yourself?"
The boy simply shrugged as his frog jumped off the back of a crocodile and to safety, propelling the boy to the next level. "I don't know. I guess everyone else is off playing the new Star Wars game. Either that or Pole Position."
Mr. Jangles nodded, moving in closer to the boy. It was normal for the kids to flock toward the new and shiny games, only playing the older ones when they had to or when the others were too busily occupied.
"You didn't want to play those?" he asked, curious about the boy's decision.
"Nah," Jimmy admitted quietly over the music of the game. "My brother Dave was being stupid and teasing me about stuff."
Mr. Jangles didn't have to ask what Jimmy's older brother was teasing him about. The boy had just turned thirteen and was obviously deep in the embarrassing changes that took place in a young boy at that age. Most found it awkward but the man thought it was a beautiful time.
"Well, Dave's a jerk," Mr. Jangles pronounced as the young boy laughed. "He had plenty of problems with stuff when he was your age. Just ignore him."
"'K," the boy sighed as his last electronic frog was crushed by a fast moving digital truck. He turned and smiled up at the man standing a little too close behind him. "And now I'm out of quarters."
Mr. Jangles returned the smile, his a little too wide. Instead of reaching into his pocket, he laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know, I've got an Atari 5200 at home and I just got some new games for it. Top of the line stuff. We could stop at the 7-11 and grab some Slurpees and ice cream on the way, if you want."
The boy's crystal blue eyes darted wildly around the arcade, trying to decide what to do. "I don't know. Mom told Dave and me to stay together. We're supposed to be home by six."
"But you're not together now and he's being a jerk anyway. Besides, I'll be sure to get you home in plenty of time for dinner, ok?"
The boy shifted and squirmed for a minute. A large 'whoop' followed by raucous laughter echoed throughout the noisy arcade. It was Dave and his friends, obviously making fun of someone else. Jimmy's face hardened and he quickly said, "Yeah, let's get out of here."
The older man smiled and led the young boy out of the dark and into the bright, hot day.
The man known as Mr. Jangles walked out of the arcade that day with little Jimmy Masterson. But one day they would find the young boy's mutilated, decapitated body, bound with the cords of an outdated game controller and he would be known to the world at large as the Game Boy Killer's victim number 9.
~~The End~~
no subject
Date: 2006-08-13 04:29 pm (UTC)I love that you gave this line, "They all like him. And he liked them" its very own paragraph... somehow that emphasis on the affection makes it all the creepier!
And you do such a great job of creating that sort of distrubing sweetness with the "innocent smile" and "trust of youth" that make Mr. Jangles do what he does. *shiver* Especially after pointing out the "danger amongst them." Even before getting the the end, I know there's serious trouble here.
And the ending... ew ew oh oh damn. I knew bad stuff would happen because of the warning, but DAMN. That just socked me in the gut, and the way you made Jangles seem... all Mr. Rogerish made it even worse. THis is powerful stuff.
Simple grammar: The aisles were packed [need a comma] the kids
On thing that stood out was the repetition in the sentence beginnings. It felt clunky...
He liked He got He wasn't He was He seemed He knew He talked He made I just wasn't sure if you wanted that section clunky and awkward... which is entirely possible.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-13 05:51 pm (UTC)Thanks for the hints. I always appreciate it when people point out mistakes I missed.
That paragraph written that way on purpose. I wanted that entire part to be about him, you know? I'll read it over and see if I can make it flow better.
Thank you so much. I know it was a creepy ride so I appreciate you giving it a shot.
*hugs*