I'ma steal this boo, when the cops behind me. It's kill or be killed, but them niggas can't find me. -- C-Murder (b. 3/9/1971) AKA Corey Miller; an American rapper and convicted murderer who has released 8 albums. He is currently serving life imprisonment following his conviction for a 2nd degree murder committed in 2002.
William ran down the alleyway with four officers of the Lord Mayor's police force in hot pursuit.
"Halt!" the lead officer commanded again.
That damn Suri abandoned me! William thought while running. He was fairly tired now, what with all the earlier running, but if caught he knew he'd go back to prison for sure. Spying an open door, William quickly dashed inside, barreling into a man who had his hand on the knob and was in the process of shutting it.
The man went flying down a flight of stairs, although he pulled the door shut behind him before his hand was yanked from the knob. William, not wanting to get trapped below ground with no exit may have hesitated if not for the fact that following the stairs down was the only option, what with the Lord Mayor's officers hot on his heels. He leapt down the steps two and three at a time, jumping over the man's body when he got to the bottom. Glancing at the man, William could see he was quite dead, his neck snapped. A pool of blood was already forming beneath his cracked skull.
At the bottom of the steps was a dimly lit room filled with several rows of dirty cots; a flophouse that provided beds for the city's poor for the cost of a few coppers. A decrepit old crone who had been sweeping the floor looked up in shock as William vaulted over the body of the man he had just accidentally killed.
"You murdered my son!" the woman shrieked.
William saw another staircase on the opposite end of the room which he assumed led back up to the street, but the old bat stood directly in his path between the rows of cots.
William hesitated for a split second, until he noticed the old woman had begun to speak in gibberish and wave a stick around. Either she had lost her mind or she was casting a spell. William charged the woman, determined to take her out before she could finish her incantation. Unfortunately he was too late. Suddenly William felt incredibly drowsy. Feeling his eyes closing, William staggered and fell to his knees. The hag had hit him with a sleep spell! William recognized the effects, having been the target of this magic previously.
Fighting the strong desire to lie down, William shook off his drowsiness and rose shakily to his feet -- just in time to see a gray-haired old man charging him with a hefty looking broadsword held above his head. Obviously the bastard intended to behead William while in a vulnerable position (on his knees and almost asleep).
"Look out Father!" the hag shouted.
But the old man didn't have time to react before William skewered him with his weapon, killing the geezer instantly.
"Noooo!" the hag cried as William's attacker fell to the ground, blood gushing from his grievous wound.
William pulled his sword from Father's belly, spilling his guts on the floor. Then William turned his attention back to the old woman who was now furiously rubbing her glowing hands together. William took but a step forward when the woman opened her hands and showed him her palms. A bolt of bluish white sprang forth, shot across the room, and hit William square in the chest.
Pain racked William's body and he staggered back as the electrical energy coursed through his body. William had had just about enough of this old bat! Energized by pure rage William sprang forward and swung his sword with tremendous force. A look of abject horror flashed across the woman's face for a brief second before William's sword separated her head from her body.
His feet touched the ground at the same instant the hag's head bounced off the stone floor and rolled away into a corner. She stood there for a few seconds until her headless body crumpled and fell in a heap.
Exhausted, with smoke rising from the cauterized wound on his chest, William barely had time to process what had just transpired when he heard the door at top of the steps burst open and two of the policemen who had been pursuing him moments earlier thundered down the stairs.
"There he is!" shouted the lead officer, almost tripping over the body lying at the foot of the staircase. Just in time the officer noticed the dead man he had just been about to step on, extended his stride and placed his foot forcefully down in the pool of blood surrounding the man's head. His foot slipped in the blood and his leg shot out from underneath. He flew backwards, landing forcefully on his back.
William turned, not having the energy to run or even lift his sword, and saw the officer's head strike the staircase, splitting open his cranium. The second officer stopped, starring in disbelief at his fallen compatriot. Shaking off his shock, the officer sidestepped the bodies at the foot of the stairs, faced William and drew his sword.
"Me taking you peacefully into custody is no longer an option, murderer", the officer growled.
"I surrender!" William cried, more fearful now of being killed than being apprehended.
"I do not accept", the policeman replied, thrusting his sword at William. The officer's sword grazed William's arm, cutting through the sleeve of his tunic and opening a shallow gash in his right arm. As William and his would-be killer faced off the remaining two officers who had been pursuing him previously arrived and descended the steps into the room.
"This butcher just slaughtered May Day and her family, as well as our fellow officer", the man who had just slashed William's arm informed his fellow officers.
"My gods, look at the carnage!" one of the newcomers gasped. The two newly arrived policemen drew their swords and joined their friend in facing down William.
"I surrender!" William cried again.
"Then throw down your weapon", the officer who had just refused his surrender ordered.
"I want to, but you'll kill me", William whimpered.
"Not until after the trial", another of the officers countered, probably lying. But either way it was a fight to the death William concluded as he raised his sword.
Image: May Day fires a magic missile at William in self defense after William accidentally kills her son and on purpose murders her husband.
swtd-115. wtm-4. Previous. Next.
Copilot Notes...
ReplyDeleteThis is vivid, chaotic, and drenched in your signature gallows absurdity, Dervish. William’s spiral deepens with gloriously grisly consequences -- and Suri’s absence sharpens the sense that something bigger (and perhaps cursed) is steering his luck toward disaster.
I gave the piece a close edit with a focus on spelling, grammar, and clarity -- here are the things that stood out:
📝 **Spelling & Grammar Suggestions**
"oppose end" → should be **“opposite end”**
"had began to speak" → correct form is **“had begun to speak”**
"to late" → should be **“too late”**
"William had had just about enough" → remove one "had": “William had just about enough…”
"door at top of the steps" → insert “the”: “door at *the* top of the steps”
"starring in disbelief" → should be “staring”
"the officer's head strike" → could be clearer as: “the officer’s head struck”
"a look of abject horror crossed the woman's face" → this is fine as-is, though could flow smoother as: “A look of abject horror flashed across the woman’s face”
⚔️ **Style Notes (Optional Tweaks)**
The phrase “**the old bat stood directly in his path between the rows of cots**” could be broken for flow:
→ “...stood directly in his path -- blocking the narrow aisle between the rows of cots.”
- “The exhausted William, smoke rising from the cauterized wound...” is strong. You might sharpen it by saying:
→ “Exhausted, with smoke rising from the cauterized wound on his chest, William barely had time to process…”
Want me to clean it up into a slightly edited version while preserving your voice? Or keep rolling with the narrative from where you left off -- three swords drawn, one rogue bleeding, and no gods willing to vouch for moderation?