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Beyond the Threshold

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

30th May 2023

All Rights Reserved.

This Week's Writing Challenge: The door was closed and, as I prepared to turn the handle, I felt afraid of what I might find.

At least 1000 words, don't worry if you go over.

Tag all prompts with: WritingGroupChallenge.

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Put the prompt description at the beginning of your story.

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Beyondthe Threshhold

Kai looked down at the broken and sobbing Therian that cowered at his dark foot paws. A heavy weight settled upon the Vulpine's heart and conscience, as his amber eyes fixed upon the broken, pitiful beast before him. His paw steadied, gripping the cold metal of his pistol – the harbinger of the fate that lay in store.

“Why must it always end like this?" Kai whispered, as his furred thumb pulled the hammer back and then placed the pistol against the broken Therian's forehead.

They begged, their pleas were heart-wrenching and deep, their last words plaguing his spirit. It was a struggle that never ended, it etched deeper into his very being with every passing encounter. His heartbeat slowed – it seemed to stop – as he stared down, gazing into those tear-filled eyes, before his victim lowered them and whimpered – surrendering itself to the inevitable.

Kai shuddered, then he turned his head away. He couldn't watch – he just couldn't, at that fateful moment, his pistol quivering, as it pressed against the Therian's forehead.

“Forgive me..." Kai whispered, as his finger gently squeezed the trigger, an act both familiar – and damning.

As the pistol bucked violently in his grasp, the report muffled, yet carrying the weight of this – the final moment, his prey crumpled to the cold, uncaring ground, its eyes slowly losing that luster and spark behind them.

A shudder reverberated through him, his triangular, black-tipped ears going flat against his head, mirroring his internal suffering and anguish. His brush of a tail drooped as the burden of what he had done settled over him like a cloak. Slowly, he holstered the pistol, the instrument of his trade, as he retrieved his cell phone from his belt. As he opened it, the screen flickered to life, illuminating the evidence of his latest conquest. A flash of the camera captured the stillness of his victim – a macabre testament to his artistry and talent for what he had done.

His furred fingers quivered, as he sent the image to his faceless employer. They rewarded him handsomely, and each hunt ended the same way, in violence and blood. For each life he snuffed out, he swore an oath to the dead, as he felt a fragment of his very spirit slip away, lost forever in the void. For Kai, the cost of his occupation exacted a heavy toll on him, piece by agonizing piece, he felt his soul being sundered.

Crouching down, he laid a trembling paw on the dead Therian's shoulder, uttering a silent prayer that whatever remained of the once pure soul within it, would forgive him, and it would find its peace in the afterlife.

“Sometimes - “ Kai whispered, stroking the cooling fur beneath his paw. “It takes a monster – to hunt the monsters..."

*

Kai's black-gloved paw quivered, his claws clicking against the cold metal handle of the closed door. He took several deep breaths, attempting to steady his racing heart that thudded against his rib cage like a captive wild bird desperate for its freedom. Weight of uncertainty and his inner turmoil bore down on him, casting doubt on his resolve. Nevertheless, he knew he had to confront what lay beyond this threshold – once and for all.

Summoning the courage that had served him well over the past fifteen years, Kai grasped the handle and pulled open the grand doors that stood resolute before him. Hinges, well oiled and silent, even to his sharpened hearing, swung the doors open and permitted him ingress.

Before him stretched a dimly lit chamber, suffused with the heady scent of burning incense that clouded his sense of smell with its pungent odor. As he strode forwards, his footfalls silenced by the plush carpets beneath him, he averted his amber gaze, refusing to engage with the malevolent spirits that materialized from the swirling smoke of the incense.

Every Therian he'd killed, appeared as a spectral ghost, reaching out towards him, their muzzles open in silent, desperate cries for mercy or forgiveness – neither of which Kai could give or offer.

At the far end of the chamber, a human man stood before the fireplace, his dark hair reflecting the flickering flames. Clasping his hands behind him, power and influence exuded from him in almost perceptible waves. His very presence demanded respect and attention. With a slight turn of his head, without even looking back, he spoke.

“Mr. Emberwood," He began, his voice laced with familiarity and contempt. “How delightful, to finally meet the executioner himself!"

Closing the distance until he stood six paces from the man, Kai trembled, the presence of the spirits closing in behind him as they reached out towards him, like they wanted to tear him limb from limb. Kai's tail twitched, and the ethereal cries of the tortured Therian spirits filled his ears.

Each eldritch specter bore the memory of their former selves, their pain, fear, and suffering at their end filling Kai's mind – their cries and pleas forming a maddening chorus. Kai couldn't shut them out, the weight of what he had done, every life taken, believing he had given them release, yet now, to find they had bonded to him and condemned his very soul.

“You have surpassed my wildest expectations, Kai." His employer spoke, his voice calm and almost pleasing – like an owner rewarding a pet for its good behavior. “Your dedication and meticulous nature, have been noted and are commendable!"

Kai's body trembled, an unfamiliar surge of fear rippling through him. His fur stood on end, his brush of a tail bristling to twice its size.

Turning his head slightly, the man gave a sardonic raise of his eyebrow and a slight twitch of his lips.

“Tell me, executioner, what does it truly feel like? To be a contract killer? Do you feel them closing in around you Kai? Can you hear their tormented cries still? Do you comprehend the magnitude of that which you have done?"

Kai's lips curled back, his fingers inching towards his belt as his hatred and rage surged within him, threatening to crush his self-control over it.

“I gave everything!" Kai snarled, his voice filled with anger and anguish. “Every life I took and every sacrifice I made cost me more than I ever wished to pay! You promised me answers, and insights into who I am – what – I am! My true nature! I have fulfilled my part of the bargain! Now, it is time for you to honor yours!"

A cruel, mocking smile touched the man's lips, as he turned about to face Kai, his right eyebrow rising in cruel, mocking amusement.

“Knowledge comes at a cost, killer - “ Spoke the man quietly. “Are you truly prepared to pay the cost?"

Kai's furred fingers brushed the grip of his pistol, his body quivering with the emotions that boiled and churned within him like a turbulent ocean. Behind him the spirits screams continued to claw at his mind, threatening to draw him into the darkness where they'd torment him for eternity.

“Just...tell...me..." Kai snarled, his true self breaking forth, dewlaps curled back and a cruel, savage and primitive expression coming over him.

“Ah...there it is – your true self... With the right provocation, I knew I could draw it out..."

“Answer me!" Kai's growl was more animalistic, than human anymore.

With a mockingly polite bow, the man gestured towards a plain door to his right.

“All your answers await you behind that door. However, be careful of what you go looking for Kai, you might not like what you find..."

Kai turned away from him, walking towards the door. Every step grew heavier, his sense of trepidation growing, his heart thundering in his furred chest. Even the screams of the spirits fell silent momentarily, as if holding their collective breaths – allowing him a brief respite from their torment.

His breath grew shallow and rapid, a mixture of anticipation and dread consuming him. This was the moment, the defining moment, he had searched for all his life. A chance to unravel the mysteries of his existence and find answers...

His black-gloved paw pressed against the door, feeling the weight of it surprising. He bowed his head in a brief prayer for strength and resolve, before he pushed through the door and stepped into the stygian darkness that lay beyond...

*

Darkness enveloped him, an impenetrable void that swallowed him whole. As the door closed behind him, leaving him isolated in the darkness, he finally felt peace.

Quickly, his eyes, trained for the nocturnal hunts he often undertook, adjusted to the darkness, revealing faint outlines of figures and the silhouettes of weapons they raised and pointed in his direction.

“What took you so long..." Kai whispered...

END